Burbank High
by mumuja
Summary: Burbank High. The biggest and most prestigious school in the country. With the beginning of another year, Key finds himself struggling with popularity, first love, and the arrival of a new student, turning everything upside down. Mainly OnKey and 2Min
1. Love is Patient

**Hello everyone! ^^ this is my first fanfiction ever o.o. Plz review!!!!!**

**And of course I don't own shinee or any other member of other groups…I wish though : )**

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**"**_**First love is only a little foolishness and a lot of curiosity.**__**"**_ George Bernard Shaw

"Hello Burbank High…." I muttered darkly as I dragged my feet up the stairs, entering the fancy school bus and making my way through the row seats, earning whispers and a few 'he looks so hot' and 'wow every year he gets better and better' and whatsoever.

The school bus was filled with eager teenagers, excited about the new school year they had ahead of them. Some where laughing, others just chatting enthusiastically, others gossiping about who ditch who during summer, etc…everything was just the same.

Every freaking first day was the same. There was nothing new, nothing interesting.

Oh! Sorry…my name is Kim Kibum (but everybody calls me key…don't ask why). I'm a junior in high school and I hate the first days of school. I'm usually a cool laid back person with few friends…but not today. I don't know, but I just find simply hypocrite how everybody pretends to be happy about meeting each other after such a long time, but internally just criticizing you from head to toe. I just basically become a loner this day, alienating myself from this sick monotonous ritual.

I sat at the back of the bus, tuning everyone out, not really caring about talking to anyone. My friends understand me so they just sit separately, giving me some space which I gracefully appreciate. I stared aimlessly at the window, seeing how the trees from the sidewalk become just a blur of green as we pass by. The morning was unusually cold, so you could see people on the street with sweaters and coats, walking fast in order to arrive to their jobs and stay away from the cold. I hugged my waistcoat subconsciously, since the bus heater wasn't doing a very good job. Even thought the school uniform was pretty thick, consisting of a black long sleeved shirt with a black tie, a gray waistcoat on top and black pants, there were several people on the bus wearing light sweaters. The girls were the most disadvantaged since they had to deal with the high skirts exposing their black tight-clad legs.

Suddenly all the chatting and laughing turned into murmurs as we came to another bus stop to pick more students. 'So typical…' I thought, but didn't pay much attention, focusing on making patterns on the window, since the windows were all foggy from the cold. "Is this sit taken?." I wiped my head to the direction of the voice and saw this cute boy staring anxiously at me with a shy smile playing on his lips. He was shorter than me, with big brown innocent eyes, small round face, delicately defined features, and a really nice smile. My eyes diverted to his clothe as I realized he wasn't wearing the school uniform, but a plain black hoodie and skinnies. 'Scholarship…interesting' I thought. It was extremely rare to see people with scholarships in this kind of high school; he's the first one I've ever seen in person.

"Sorry to bother, I'll find another place to sit" he said at last, pouting as he took my staring as a 'get away' signal. I finally realized I've been staring too long to consider proper and when I saw the cute little pout I chuckled.

"It's ok you can sit here", as soon as the words came out, a huge adorable smile plastered on the boys face as he hurriedly took a seat. "Thanks! Everybody kept starring at me with this scary expression…like I was growing a foot on my head or something that I couldn't find anywhere else to sit".

"Don't worry, everyone is like that today so you're safe here" I said laughing at the relived expression of the boy. "ahh! Sorry for being so rude, my name is Taemin and I'm new" I saw Taemin's radiant smile and I instantly knew he had a pure innocent soul. "Hi Taemin my name is Kim Kibum but everybody calls me Key" I said when I realized that everybody was still staring at Taemin. I sighed, acknowledging all the attention the poor boy was attracting. I felt bad for him actually. He didn't seem the type of person that liked to attract attention and he just had to go and attract more attention that he already had with his clothe by sitting with me. I could see Taemin fidgeting with the hem of his sweater, head bowed down; obviously embarrassed by all the looks and stares he was receiving. I stared coldly, clearly telling all the people that were staring to back off and in cue they all went back to normal, getting the message. I still could feel he was nervous so I tried to make small talk to help him a little

"Hey Taemin…you're a junior right?" he just looked so small and young, I had to ask.

"yep! I know I'm small but I'm still at my growth spurt" he said posing like he was showing his 'muscles'. "aigoo Taemin your such a cutie" I cooed not resisting the urge to pat his head. He pouted but didn't object at my touch. I could totally see myself and Taemin becoming friends already. A few minutes later we were already chatting animatedly and I thanked God for making this dreadful day more interesting by having him here. He later told me that at his past school everyone made fun of him for being so short and nerdy so he applied for a scholarship at Bumrock High and to his surprise he got accepted over 200 students who applied for it too. I was amazed too; he didn't seem the type to be THAT nerdy…no offense.

We soon arrived at Burbank High School and I grumbled as I saw the main building sticking far ahead. Everyone rushed out of the bus, but we took our sweet time. "Wow… is so big!" he said in awe as he saw the school entrance; it was a perfectly justified expression considering that Burbank High was the biggest and most prestigious school in the country. 'Prestigious my ass' I thought gloomily as we crossed the school gate after Taemin showed his acceptance letter to the guards, and started climbing the big set of stairs that were at the entrance. The high school grounds were actually quite beautiful. All the school campus was surrounded by gardens; there were also mini plazas for students to relax in. Four big white buildings where constructed at the corners of the big main plaza with a huge monument of the founder in the middle. Everything in this High School screamed 'RICH' and it's true, since the student body consisted on rich wealthy people and a few who had scholarships, like Taemin.

So yeah…I'm rich…but not snobby like most of the people here. I try to be as normal as you could possibly be while having millions of dollars on your bank account. The school tried to hide the fact that all their students, with a few exceptions, where ridiculously wealthy, so a few years ago they implemented this school policy in order to 'normalize' the students, obligating us to ride a school bus, like all the other schools. There are 8 buses in total, distributed in different areas. The whole 'normalize' thing went to the gutter…why? It didn't help the fact that the busses are guarded by several police officers, the s.w.a.t, and helicopters…EVERYDAY. Lots of students objected to this policy though, so the school and the students came to an agreement and now you can go by yourself after classes. And by yourself I mean being picked up by a fancy limousine, or riding your Ferrari, porshe, or whatever. Just the students with scholarships rode the busses back home.

"Pretty cool huh?" we finally reached the top of the stairs and made our way to the main building. "Yeah…everything is soo elegant and…expensive" he laughed nervously at the last part, eyeing warily the huge water fountain in the center of the main floor, already intimidated by the whole environment. "mmm but don't worry in no time your gonna learn to hate it…like me" I said happily, smiling brightly at the last part, earning a chuckle from Taemin. I grabbed his arm and dragged him through the elegant corridors, finally arriving to the administration area.

It was already packed with students from all levels, so we had to wait for our turn to grab our schedule and to our surprise we had the first four classes together, lunch 1, and extracurricular classes, but it's was obvious we weren't gonna have those two together since it's your personal choice to which one you want to subscribe. "Lunch 1?." Taemin asked as we where making our way out of the main building to the building labeled 'C', already late to our first class, math. "yep we have two scheduled lunches, lunch 1 and 2. Depending on your schedule that's the lunch you get, but it's the same thing, what changes is the hour you have it. For example lunch 1 is after four classes and lunch 2 is after 3" once I finished my little explanation a rounded 'o' formed on his lips as he understood. We finally arrived to the classroom, and to our luck the teacher wasn't there yet. I patted Taemin's shoulder as he gave me a puzzled look, "ah my young padawan, this is where we most depart…you have to wait for the teacher to come since your new" he laughed at my silly farewell but still nodded. "I'll see you in a few" I waved and made my way in, not after wishing him good luck with his self presentation, earning a petrified expression from him. Seriously…he didn't expect to just go inside and sit did he?.

A few minutes later Mr. Baker came in and all you could hear were the rustling of chairs as everyone settled on their seats. "Good Morning. For those who don't know me, I'm Mr. Baker and I'm going to be your math teacher for this year on the Junior B section. I hope you had a good vacation and stayed out of trouble. I can see some familiar faces" he looked cautiously at a group of boys at the back earning whistles and harsh laughing in response. Mr. Baker just shook his head in disapproval but continued, "And some new faces too. I hope you all came in your best behavior and start with a positive attitude this year. On another note, we have a new student joining us" everything became silent and low murmurs started filling the room. "Now everyone settle down. He won one of the few scholarships the school gives away every year. I want you to be warm and welcoming. Please come in" he made a hand gesture towards the door and the murmurs became louder as Taemin stepped through the door. I could see Taemin's scare expression as who took a look at the students only to lower his head, embarrassed by all the negative comments he was getting.

"he's poor…such a shame"

"I didn't even know the school still gave scholarships"

"omg…look at his clothes…"

"man! he's soo poor he can't even afford the school uniform"

"I bet they gave him the scholarship just for charity"

Even if they were low murmurs, they didn't go unnoticed to Taemin's ears as he lowered his head deeper, in shame. I realized my knuckles were white from clenching my fists too hard. I could feel the nails digging into my palms, dragging blood in the process. 'How can they be so fucked up!!?' I thought harshly as I was about to stand up and tell everyone to fuck off, not caring about getting a detention.

"Please everyone be nice…" I heard a soft voice plead. I saw everyone turn to look for the source of the voice, their eyes falling on a boy sitting in the second row, Nickhun. Everyone grudgingly settled down and became quite, since Nickhun is highly respected for being a member of the school's committee. Taemin gave a thankful smile to Nickhun, receiving a nod in exchange. "Hello…My name is Lee Taemin. I hoped to we can all get along this year." He bowed and quickly took a seat in front of me, since it was the only empty seat available. The class started and everyone forgot about Taemin for a moment and focused on groaning and protesting at the problem Mr. Baker was writing on the board, a 'warm up problem' he called it, to wake our lazy mind up. I tore a piece of paper from my notebook, scribbled something down and crumpled it before throwing it at Taemin's desk. I saw his shoulders jerk up as he was startled by the sudden crumpled paper on his desk.

'_hey ar u ok? Crappy classmates rite : /?'_ I could picture Taemin laughing at my rushed handwriting. He quickly wrote something and tossed it back without looking. I was careful that no one saw this little exchange between Taemin and me. I didn't want to cause him more unwanted attention. _'hahaha I'm ok. I'm used to being treated like this anyway so it's nothing new : P'_ I frowned at this. He really must have been bullied pretty bad at his last school to have that kind of thinking.

'_don't mind them…they're a bunch of stupid butt holes xD'_ I threw the paper ball but aimed wrong and hit Taemin's head instead. He turned to look at me rubbing his head and pouting. I chuckled softly and mouthed a sorry. He turned back and while he was writing a reply I saw a kid from across the classroom, looking at us with a curious expression. My face turned colder suddenly and I raised an eyebrow at him. The kid suddenly turned panicky and quickly turned back on his seat. I was absorbed in this little display that I didn't see Taemin throwing the paper ball back, so it landed right on my face, poking my eye in the process. I grunted, rubbing my eye 'damn he has good aim' I thought sourly as I open the paper.

'_ok kibummie…I got the feeling that you don't like people calling you Key so…I can call you kibummie right? :]'_ I smiled softly at this. _'The kid is really perceptive'_. I felt a pang of pain on my palm as I took the crumpled paper with my left hand, and when I looked I was surprise to see blood gushing out. Apparently my nails dug deeper than I thought. The blood was slowly dripping from my palm to the desk, _'I have to get this cuts clean'_. I quickly write Taemin back and grabbed a tissue from my backpack. I cleaned the mess on the table and wrapped another tissue on my left hand, stopping the blood. I saw Taemin turn his head to smile at me, happy about my acceptance on the little nickname. I smiled back and I felt the pain on my palm increasing. "I'm gonna go to the nursery ok? If I'm not back before lunch, just save me a seat" I murmured and saw him go pale with concern, "don't worry, take this. It's a map of all the classrooms you need to go to, so try and not get lost." I gave him the handmade map I made while he was giving his self presentation and patted his head. I stood up, and everyone stared curiously at me as I made my way to the teacher. After a few moments the teacher nodded and wrote me a nursery pass. I took a last glance at Taemin and gave him a reassuring smile, earning a few gasps from the class.

I strode through the hallways as I passed several classrooms, arriving finally to the nursery. I opened the door and a curious Mrs. Taylor greeted me as I took a seat in a chair, next to some guy who couldn't stop sneezing. The nursery was pretty big, and it was equipped like a hospital. Being the first day of school it was almost empty, aside from the sneezing guy and a girl who had a nosebleed.

"Hello Mrs. Taylor" She smiled warmly at me as she was attending the sneezing guy. "Hello Kibum what can I do for you today?" I unwrapped the tissue from my hand and a surprised gasp came from the three persons in the room. "Oh my…what happened?" she quickly ditched sneeze guy and grabbed a couple of things from the cabinets situated on the back. I sighed when I saw alcohol, oxygenated water, and gauzes on her hands. "umm the wood from my desk was chipped and I wasn't careful enough" I lied. She didn't need to know the truth.

"You should get that desk fix then. It's dangerous to leave it like that" I cringed when she passed an alcohol swap through the cuts, burning my skin. I bit my lip and tilted my head to the other side, closing my eyes as Mrs. Taylor cleaned my cuts without mercy. After a couple of minutes that felt like an eternity, I felt soft cotton against my skin, followed by gauzes tightly secured. I exhaled, finally feeling a tingly sensation on my hand, pain numbed. "ok now stay here because I might have to change the bandages again if they get soaked" I groaned hitting the back of my head with the wall. 'Pure torture' I thought as Mrs. Taylor just laughed and stood up, going to check on the nosebleed girl. I closed my eyes, resting my head on the wall, enjoying the way the air conditioner felt against my sweaty forehead.

"I'll be right back ok? I'm out of cotton wool balls" I heard the door close and the three of us were left alone. I opened my eyes and realized the nosebleed girl and sneeze guy were starring at me, but quickly blushed and look the other way when I caught them starring. I sighed closing my eyes again, feeling their eyes burning holes in my body. I was used to being stared at. It's something I hated but couldn't help for the simple fact that I was…popular. Yep, I'm the most popular Junior in the C section, and one of the most popular of the Juniors in general and the entire school. C section? You must be wondering…well the entire school is divided in sections. From Kindergarten to High School. There are four sections, A B C and D. Each year you get changed into a different section. They don't sort you for grades or anything, just randomly in order for you to 'mingle' with other people. In my case, all the people that are Juniors like me, even thought we're the same grade, we have different schedules and the only way to see the people from other grades and sections is at lunch. Like I explained to Taemin earlier there are two lunches, and they have a cafeteria for middle school and another one for High School, since the middle school is in another campus. But the term 'cafeteria' is so wrong, since it looks more like a 5 star restaurant than a school cafeteria. Another place you get to mingle with Juniors from different sections and Seniors is in the extracurricular classes that take place after lunch.

The door suddenly opened and a big bulky guy came in, looking around with a puzzled expression on his face. "Mrs. Taylor will be back shortly" the nosebleed girl said and the bulky guy just nodded and took a seat. His eyes roamed around the room, not fixating in anything particular until his eyes turned to the size of saucer plates as he realized I was in the room. I just closed my eyes only to open them again when I heard the door open again. But instead of Mrs. Taylor, a gorgeous boy came in. He was taller than me, with a lean figure, not so bulky but still muscular enough. He had big brown eyes that could suck you in if you weren't careful. A beautiful breathtaking smile adorned his face as he asked the girl the whereabouts of Mrs. Taylor. The poor girl was so stunned by the perfect boy standing right in front of her, that only the words 'gone' and 'be right back' came out of her mouth as stutters. The gorgeous boy just nodded thanking her and took a seat beside the, now nervous, bulky guy. I took notice that he was older than me too, so he must be a Senior in the C section, judging by the pin he had on his waistcoat that had _"C section"_ labeled on it. The environment in the room turned really uncomfortable as I saw the girl and the two boys fidgeting nervously. They must feel intimidated by me AND by the gorgeous guy. The said boy was just staring at the fish tank and I remembered I still had the blood stained tissue in my not gauzed hand so I got up and threw it in the garbage. I grabbed a magazine on my way back to the seat, and started looking aimlessly through the pages. I felt someone looking at me, but I knew it must be some of the two guys or the girl perhaps. I adverted my eyes to the front, making a quick scan through the seats across the room, and in fact the girl and the bulky guy were staring at me, and as I was about divert my attention back to the magazine, when I caught a pair of curious brown eyes staring at me too.

'_Why is HE looking at me?'_ I thought as I suddenly started to feel nervous. I felt confused as to why I felt nervous; I was already used to being stare at. I was mostly popular by my money and not mention looks. I think I'm the kind of person that stands out from the crowd, which I hate very much. I don't like to have this kind of attention, I just want to be a normal kid, but my asymmetrical multicolored colored fringe, auburn eyes, lean body and huge bank account weren't features that helped you to 'blend in' exactly. _'Omg why is he still starring!?_' I hissed quietly as I strictly kept my head down, covering my eyes with my fringe. I could feel his eyes burning holes in my head, and I thanked God when Mrs. Taylor finally came back, with a big bag of cotton on her arms. "wow we have quite a crowd here" she said noticing the two more additions that arrived while she was gone. Once she stored the cotton bag she proceeded to assist the bulky boy that had a sore throat. She then finally dismissed sneeze boy and nosebleed girl. And to my utter dismay only gorgeous guy and me where left. "Lee Jinki, I don't see you here very often, what's the problem?". Now everything made sense.

Lee Jinki…he was by far the most popular guy in school. He was in fact a Senior like I predicted. Every boy and girl in this school drooled over him, and it was natural since he was perfection incarnated. He was in the badminton team as well as the soccer team, so that explains the toned body. He was the teacher's favorite student and everyone just adored him because even thought he was extremely rich and good looking he was a pretty down to earth boy. Of course I've never seen him until now. I know about him from what people have told me but…I didn't expect him to be THIS good looking. I came out of my thoughts as I saw Mrs. Taylor leave Jinki and approach me. "Now let's see how those cuts are doing" she grabbed my hand and I saw red spots on the gauzes. "We're gonna have to clean those again". I groaned banging my head softly on the wall as I saw her retrieve to the cabinets, to get all her utensils of horror. I sighed defeated and just closed my eyes preparing myself for the torture.

"Does it hurt that bad?" I heard a sweet soft voice across the room and I opened my eyes and saw Jinki looking at me with curious eyes. A few minutes later I realized he was waiting for an answer and I blushed slightly. "Yeah…it's like a stick going through your ass kind of pain" I said without thinking and before I knew it Jinki was laughing. His laugh as well as his voice was sweet and musical, as cheesy as that sounds. I marveled at the way his eyes disappeared with his laughter. After he finished laughing he threw me a crocked smile leaving me breathless.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope it gets better" I smiled at his comforting words, but the smile quickly disappeared as Mrs Taylor took a seat in front of me and proceeded to redo my bandages. After the torture was over my forehead was all clammy and I was panting slightly. My cheeks were burning furiously, but not because I was exhausted from the pain…no…it was from pure and utter embarrassment. I was so absorbed in the pain that I bit my lip and moaned several time arching my back at the contact of my damaged skin with the alcohol, realizing only when it was over that there was another human being beside Mrs. Taylor in the room. I tried to avoid meeting his eyes, but failed and I saw he had this unreadable expression on his face that I couldn't figure out. _'Maybe he's freaked out'_ I thought sourly as Mrs. Taylor grabbed a thermometer from her table and took his temperature. _'ahh he has fever'_ his eyes never left me as Mrs. Taylor proceeded to take his temperature. The way his eyes kept staring at me intently made me feel exposed somehow. "Well it seems your fever is all gone now so you can go back to your class" she said and Jinki thanked her as he got up and walked to the door. As he was about to twist the door knob he looked at me and smile gently "Take care of your hand". I just smiled and nodded as he opened the door and left.

I stayed a few more minutes and when my cuts finally stopped bleeding I left. I saw people talking and walking in the hallways and as I looked at my clock I realized 15 minutes have already passed from lunch. "Taemin must be waiting" I said to myself as I hurriedly made my way to the cafeteria. From afar I could see the cafeteria was packed so I hoped Taemin saved me a seat. As I proceeded to open the doors I was greeted by a sight that turned my blood cold.

The entire cafeteria turned quite as I entered and I could only hear the laughter of the 4 guys in the middle, circling Taemin in the middle. His food was sprawled in the floor and I could see the tray shaking in his hands, fear the dominant expression in his eyes. "What's wrong? I told you to clean it" the tallest guy said, earning a laugh from the other 3 as they saw how Taemin's hands were shaking. "Hey Jay I think he doesn't want to" another guy said as he nudged the taller boy. Jay stared at Taemin for a moment, "Then I'm gonna have to teach you to obey your elders" and when I saw he was about to grab Taemin I knew it was my time to step in.

"What the HELL do you think your doing?" the 4 guys wiped their head on my direction and I saw they looked confused, maybe pondering why I was interfering in behalf of the new boy. "ah Key! Good to see you man!! Looking good" Jay said nervously as he saw my dark expression. "Kibummie" Taemin said suddenly, running to my side. I turned my gaze to Taemin and switched my expression to concern as I grabbed his shoulder, examining him for any injure. It was amazing how overprotective I've become of the little boy in such short notice. I heard all the people gasp and whisper as I softly patted Taemin's head, arranging a few strands that were loose on the way. "Taeminnie are you ok? They didn't hurt you right?" I murmured as he laughed at my nickname but shocked his head, biting his lower lip nervously as he stared back at the 4 now petrified boys in the center. The 4 guys, as everyone else, were utterly surprise at the close relationship I had established with Taemin in such short time, heck, even I was surprise. I'm not the type to take fond of someone so fast, and it was already known since I had such few friends that I could truly call my friends. I actually can count them with my fingers.

I turned my eyes to the 4 boys again, pushing Taemin behind me. I strode slowly to the center of the room. "mmm Key we didn't know he was your friend" Jay stutter taking a few steps back when he saw I didn't falter my walk. I stopped a few meters in front of him.

"Key I'm sorry, I promise I-"he flinched when I shot my palm up, signaling him to be quiet. All his cowardly friends where shaking with fear behind him, but I focused my attention on Jay, their leader. "Jay how is your father doing?" I asked out of nowhere. I saw his puzzled face as he crooked his head to the side "mm his doing good this days…" realization hit him as horror tinted his features. "good, it would suck if he was in trouble or something" I said nonchalantly as I stepped up and grabbed his collarbone in order to pull him slowly towards me, so that I could whisper easily in his ear. "if you so much as to touch a hair of Taemin's head, hell if you so much as to GLANCE his way, consider yourself dead, and don't even bother coming to school the next day…I wonder what everyone would think if they find out that your father hired a whore to fuck him, and now his getting sued for not paying her" I let go on his collarbone and smile sweetly as Jay's face showed no sign of emotion.

"Now Jay-Jay don't you have something to say to Taemin?" I saw Jay's friends stare at him nervously, unaware of the little exchange I just had with him. As they saw him move slowly towards Taemin, I could see everyone was anxious about what was going to happen next. I could feel Taemin became nervous as he saw Jay approaching him, "it's ok, trust me" I whispered. He relaxed a little only to gasp along with everyone in the cafeteria as they saw how Jay dropped to his knees in front of Taemin and bowed his head. "I'm sorry Taemin, please forgive me and my friends". I knew Jay wasn't a bad person actually; he just crossed the lines now and then, so he had to be scolded sometimes.

Taemin just nodded awkwardly. Jay stood up and bowed his head towards me, mumbling a sorry once again before exiting the cafeteria, followed by his astonished friends. I sighed, and realized everyone was still staring. "Show is over" I said roughly and in cue everyone continued with their previous activities, but still you could hear comments here and there, and anxious glances were still thrown towards me and Taemin, more discretely though. I turned to Taemin again and saw he was still biting his lower lip, scared probably with the whole thing. I smiled and grabbed his hand as I dragged him to the buffet area…yeah buffet. "wha-…what are you doing" I just grabbed a tray and start stuffing it with food randomly, not caring for anything in particular. "duh, you dropped your food remember?" I pinch the tip of his nose, and I saw him smile, finally relaxing. "Yeah but I already spent my lunch money".

"Don't you have a scholarship that pays for this?" I thought scholarships paid for everything, even your photocopies and stuff. "mm actually is not a full scholarship, it's only half so I have to pay for everything else".

"wow that sucks…" I muttered as I quietly went to the cashier handing her my id card. "yeah it's fine tho-…hey! You don't have to pay for my food too!!" rolling my eyes, I just grabbed the tray and headed to the second floor…aha, second floor. The cafeteria is so big it has 2 floors, both with buffets on each one. I found a place where we could hide from all the curious stares. Taemin was still upset as I pushed half of the food towards him.

"It's ok Taemin I actually didn't pay for it, I have it for free" I saw Taemin's eyes widen in surprise before nodding reculantly. "mm in that case…I guess it's ok, but only this one time ok?" I rolled my eyes but accepted, knowing it was already a lost cause. We stared eating quietly, comforted in the silence, but I knew there was something nagging me in the back of my head that I needed to get out fast. "I'm sorry for what happened back there…you must have been scared with my attitude" He took a bite and lifted his eyes to look at me with a confused expression. I waited as he chewed and finally swallowed.

"Of course not…I was actually grateful that you stood up for me. I didn't know you were THIS popular though. I mean when Hongki told me you were extremely popular I didn't knew how much he was talking about" he smiled at me and proceeded with his food. I stood dumbfounded at his comment, '_THAT popular? How could he possibly know I was popular?'_ I frowned deep in thought, and Taemin after a few minutes, realized I was not touching my food. "Kibum are you ok?" I was pulled out of my thoughts as I saw him waving his hand in front of me.

"You already know I'm popular?" I asked only to receive a puzzled look back. "Yeah…you didn't want me to know?" I shocked my head lightly. "It's not that…wait…how did you find out anyway?" Taemin chuckled and that response only made me more curious to know the story behind. "Well after you left to go to the nursery, I headed to our second class, Spanish. I tried to follow your map, but I think halfway through the route I must have turned the wrong way and ended up in building A" He looked apologetic and I just laughed amusingly, imagining how lost and hopeless he must have felt. "After trying to go back to building C, with no success whatsoever, I bumped into this guy named Hongki. He must have seen the desperate look on my face, since He kindly took me back to building C. He even offered to walk me straight to my classroom. While we were walking to the building, he asked me if I was new and everything. Soon after we were engrossed in a little conversation and suddenly he asked if I already made any friends and I just nodded. He asked who, just to keep the conversation going I think, so I just blurted your name…" Taemin paused to shake his head in disbelief. "…The reaction that followed next was quite amusing, since he was drinking water….He nearly choke!!! You should have seen him kibummie! I had to pat the poor guy on the back" we both laughed at the thought, earning a few glances from the people on the nearby tables, but ignore them anyway.

"ahh so this Hongki guy told you about me then" I couldn't help but hate that boy a little. I wanted to be the one to tell Taemin about my popularity, not some boy he just met. Well that's a little clichéd I guess since I just met him today too, but there was something special about Taemin and me that justified anything.

"Yep. At first I was a bit taken a back as to why he didn't believe me that we were friends. He said I must have mistaken you for someone else" He chuckled a little when he saw me scowl at the comment. _'Confuse me with someone else…HA! Like that would happen'._

"After finally convincing him that in fact it was the same KIBUM we both knew, he just stared at me in awe, telling me how lucky I was. He then proceeded to tell me that you where by far one of the four most popular boys in school. He told me how ridiculously wealthy you were, and how your family owned almost all of the fast food chains in the country. Ah! He also mentioned how jealous he was of me, being so close to you in so little time, since you weren't the type to be exactly 'friendly' with just anyone." I focused my attention at the food in front of me. I couldn't face Taemin, knowing how much he already knew about me. I hated to be feared. I hated to be looked at in daily basis. I hated how everybody forgets you're a human, and only focus on your mistakes…I just simply hate this life. I didn't want Taemin to be unhappy by forcing him to be my friend. I wouldn't bare that.

"He then asked me if I wasn't intimidated by you. He said everyone is really afraid to approach you since you give this cold, tough vibe. Nobody knows how to approach you, too intimidated by your very presence. I thought about it and it's true, when I saw you at the bus this morning, I was really afraid to even ask you to let me sit with you." I sighed, waiting for the part were he says 'key it's better if we're not friends anymore. I can't stand the pressure of being watched 24/7' or something like that.

"I just laughed at his comments though. I told him you were one of the warmest, friendliest person I've ever met and once you get to know the real Kibum it's all good" I waited…patiently for the 'let's not be friends anymore' part, but I suddenly realized it was not coming. He started commenting about the Spanish teacher who made him read in front of the class just to make him suffer. As he continued talking, I stared astonished as it slowly sunk in my system that maybe Taemin didn't care about my popularity or looks, and just saw me as 'normal kid', but I had to ask.

"Taemin" I interrupted, startling him with my seriousness. "…you don't care about me being popular? Having everyone gawk and stare at me and anyone who is with me? Having everyone too scared to even have he guts to strike up a conversation? To…be my friend?" I could tell Taemin saw how my voice broke a little at the last part. He stood up and out of nowhere, a pair of warm arms embraced me. He let go a few minutes later and sat back. "I don't like you because of your money, or your looks, or your popularity…I like you because of who you are, and I want to be your friend and prove everyone that you're as amazing on the outside as the inside as well". I smiled, more grateful than I've ever felt before. I nodded, and kept quite. Sometimes actions speak louder than words…waaay louder..

We drop the subject happily and started chatting about the teachers, how they were born in hell and try to lure us into the dark side every chance they got. My cellphone started ringing all of a sudden and I excused myself, seeing it was my mother calling me. A few minutes later I came back, pissed that my so called 'mother' was invited to the open ceremony of this luxurious spa…in London, leaving me alone as always. I loved my mother to death; I just wished I could see her often since it was only the two of us, dad dead long ago. Weirdly, I found Taemin staring curiously over the railing, to the first floor.

"What are you looking at Taeminnie?" I stood beside him, trying to find what could possibly have caught his attention. "mmm I just wanted to know why everyone is making a fuss about the two boys who just came in" he said blinking innocently while tilting his head, still looking at the first floor. "Which two boys?" I was getting curious. I don't remember there were any popular guys in lunch 1, but again I haven't even checked all the people in the B section yet. " ahh let me see…them" he simply said, pointing at the two older boys sitting in a table chatting, oblivious to the squealing girls sitting at the nearer tables, and the boys secretly drooling at them from afar. I hissed and grabbed Taemin's hand, dragging him away from the railing, back to the table. Taemin tilted his head, looking closely at my now, flushed face. "Why is your face so red? Do you have a fever or something?" I couldn't pay attention to him right now, I was shocked as the image of Jinki and the other boy kept running over and over in my head. _'Why?? Why did he have to be in the same section AND in the same lunch break as me!!'_ I whined, still embarrassed by my behavior at the nursery earlier. I tend to loose my senses when it comes to pain.

I saw Taemin's concerned face as I started chewing my bottom lip, stealing glances at the railing now and then. "They didn't see us staring did they?" I asked anxiously as he hurriedly replied a simple 'no'.

"Do you know those two?" I sighed and proceeded to tell Taemin the whole thing. At the end he was rolling on the floor laughing. He was holding his stomach as a few tears escaped his eyes. I hushed him, telling him to be quite. I would die if I had to come face to face with Jinki's unreadable expression again.

"yah! It's not funny!!" I pouted when I saw he just laughed harder but quieted down soon after. "So he's popular enough to have Kim Kibum weak on his knees for him" he said, more like a fact than a question.

"Of course not! I'm just embarrassed he had to see…and hear…me moaning pain" I said while looking at the railing, trying to see if he was already gone. "oh! By the way…who was the boy that was with him?" I could have sworn I saw a spark in Taemin's eyes when he mentioned the taller boy, with long brown hair and charismatic smile, but it was probably my imagination. "mmm I don't know. I've truly never met Jinki before, only heard from him through other people's comments, but guessing from his physic and the way they treat each other I think that's Minho" I was about to say more while I glanced subconsciously at the clock on the wall, seeing that we only have 15 minutes before the extracurricular classes…wait. "oh fuck!" I cursed as I stood up at once.

"What's wrong kibum?" I grabbed my bag as I motioned him to take his and follow me. "I forgot we haven't subscribed to any extracurricular classes yet…Let's hope we can still make it in the good ones" we rushed through the stairs, hurriedly crossing the cafeteria. I tried to push the thought that Jinki could be staring at me, as girls began to squeal about how cute I looked with my face flushed. Boys drooling over my sweaty figure from afar. I ignore them and just exited the cafeteria, panting slightly. _'Man the cafeteria is really big'_ I thought as Taemin stood beside me, catching his breath.

"Come on! We only have 10 minutes" we ran through the hallways, up to the main building, arriving in record time to the administration area. The secretary took in our appearance but remained quite. "Hi we're Juniors from section C and we forgot to subscribe our extracurricular classes" she was about to scold us but I flashed her a crooked smile making her gasp. _'hahaha young secretaries are so gullible'_ I thought with joy as she nodded awkwardly and handed the list of still available classes.

We took a seat at the leather sofas back on the reception area. I saw Taemin glancing nervously at his watch. The extracurricular classes started 10 minutes ago. "Is it ok if we are late to these classes?"

"Yeah don't worry, we'll ask the secretary to give us some passes" I answered, not taking my eyes from the list. I guess he relaxed a little, as he moved closer to take a look at the list too. There were all types of classes; Arts, Chemistry, Math, French, Drama, Chorus, EVERYTHING. It wasn't a 3 page list for nothing. "What are your hobbies Taemin?" I saw him pondering for a while. I already had my choices, Dancing and Photography. Each year I took the same classes, so I already knew what those were about.

"Well I like chemistry…it's there chemistry in there?" I watched in disbelief as he muttered his first option, but nodded nonetheless as I wrote _Advanced Chemistry _on a piece of paper. He grabbed the list and started eyeing all the endless classes available. Suddenly his eyes lit up as he pointed a class listed on the G's. My eyes bulged when I saw what class he was referring to.

"Ga..ga..gardening!?" I gawked as he bobbed his head with a big smile, but soon a sad expression took place as he saw my gawking. "I know it sounds ridiculous and everything…but I love flowers" he bowed his head in shame. I sighed and put my hands on his shoulders, making him look at me.

"There's nothing wrong with liking flowers. I'm sorry if I hurt your feeling with my reaction, it's just that…you don't seem the type to be in gardening class" he crooked his head, not understanding what I meant with that. "mmm your gonna see what I mean when you have your first class" I patted his head and smiled.

"Kibummie which classes did you choose?" we were going back to the administration now, to officially subscribe.

"Dance and Photography" We handed the list back to the secretary and proceeded to fill the application forms. We got our passes and finally headed to the last building on the school grounds, which was specifically designed for extracurricular classes. "You like photography?" I smiled as I reached for my backpack and pulled out a _Nikon D700_, my baby. His eyes widened as he saw the expensive camera. "It's my passion" I simply stated placing the camera carefully in Taemin's hands. He cradled it with extreme care as he was examining it. He looked like a little boy that has found a new exciting toy to look at. "This must cost a fortune…" I heard him muttered. We were walking slowly now, so he could look at the camera without fear of dropping it. "mmm I guess…it was a birthday present".

We both stood silent for a while. I realized the weather was suddenly warm so I unbuttoned my waistcoat, hearing some girls shriek and giggle from afar. I rolled my long sleeves up to my elbows. _'So much for the cold weather…'_ I thought and I notice Taemin had already taken his sweater off, wearing a simple t-shirt under it. "I got a pair of socks for my birthday last year…with my name embroidered" The statement took me by surprise, and when my brain processed the information a few minutes later, an urge to laugh overwhelmed me. Just imagining Taemin receiving the embroidered socks with a horrified expression on his face was enough to crack me up. I bit my lip though, I didn't want him to think I was making fun of him, but suddenly he started laughing and I couldn't hold it so I joined soon afterwards. He returned the camera and I place it back safely on my bag.

"Here we are" I said as we arrived to the 6 story building, big enough to accommodate a public school…and still have plenty of spare space. "ok you see the reception over there" I asked pointing the big reception in the center of the main floor. "If you want to book a classroom to study or to do some project, you go there. It's like the library, when you borrow a book, but instead of books you borrow rooms." A small "o" formed on his lips as we took the elevator up to the third floor.

Once the elevator arrived, Taemin walked out. "Let me see if I remember…first I take the left hallway, then I turn left again and it's the second door…on the right?" I clapped my hands as he remembered the instructions I gave him in the elevator. "Good!! I'm not gonna see you after cus gardening last a little bit longer than other classes, so…until tomorrow then" he pouted and waved a little. I step back in the elevator pressing the second floor. "Don't talk to strangers" I managed to joke as the doors closed. I could hear a faint laughter coming from outside.

I knew my way already, so in no time I was standing outside of the dance studio. I opened the doors, soon greeted by cheers and a series of hello's. I knew almost everyone in the class. It's really rare that people subscribe to this class, so we were a small group, making the work more comfortable. There were two or three guys that I never seen before, and by the way they were stumbling nervously on their feet, eyes fixated on me, I could guess they never thought I would be in this class. I hate new people. It's difficult for me to try to get to know someone. I don't know…it's just that no one seems…"interesting" enough to get to know. Well, except Taemin of course, but that's a huge exception.

"Hey Key! What's up?" A big muscular guy greeted me as he was putting on his sneakers. "Hey Chansung… same old thing you know" I smiled as I reached a hand to help him up. He laughed patting my back as a greeting. I greeted the rest of the crew as the rest of them presented me the "new additions". "This is Minam, Jo kwon, and Chanming. They're gonna audition today to became part of the dance team" I nodded and a muffled hi came from the 3 nervous guys, eyeing me. "Come on guys, he's not gonna bite you" Junho, another member of the crew, said as he nudged the guys with his elbow. He wiggled his eyebrow, making the 3 boys blush scarlett. "yah junho stop messing around dude, your gonna scare them" Junsu, another member, said while hitting him in the head. Junho pouted but backed off eventually.

We took a sit at the opposite wall, leaving enough space for the 3 guys to dance. All of the crew members where already wearing sweatpants, t-shirts, wife beaters, but since I came late I was still in my uniform. The music started and 3 bodies started moving in the center. The first one, Minam, was very stiff. I don't know if it was nervousness or he simply wasn't that good. The second one, Jo Kwon was really good at dancing. When I saw the smooth back turn he did at the beginning, I instantly knew he was in. The last one, Jiwoon, was good but not good enough to enter though. Maybe next year if he practices a lot.

The music ended, leaving the 3 boys sweating like pigs and taking big breaths. All the members clapped, saying they did a good job. After that, the 3 boys left so we could discuss our opinions and come out with the results.

A few minutes later the bell rang, and luckily we came to a decision on time. We call the 3 boys back in and congratulated them for making a terrific job, but we were gonna stick with Jo kwon for now. Seeing the disappointed look on the other 2, we invited them to try next year, and to stop by on practices. I said my goodbyes and headed to my next class, Photography. This class was different for me. I wasn't as friendly as I was in this class…maybe because I didn't know many people like in dance class, and I didn't bother to socialize either. I took the elevator once again, up to the fifth floor now and, again, I already knew the route like the back of my hand so 5 minutes later I was at the photography studio.

The classroom was very big, with four big windows on the left, making everything look so bright and spacious. The class was almost filled. I took a seat at my usual spot by the window, not caring to talk to anyone. A few people I already knew came up to talk to me, but the majority of the class was people I've never seen before. Since Juniors and Seniors mingle in this type of classes, it wasn't strange for me not to know most of them. I could feel the stares boring into my back but I ignore all of this as I took out my camera and started looking at the pictures in the memory, erasing some and changing the quality of others. A few minutes later Ms. Goon came in, and everyone settle down.

"Hello everyone! Good to see some new faces. It's nice to see that people are getting more and more interested in the wonderful and exciting world that is Photography. Just to know that in a photograph you can capture-" the door suddenly opened as Ms. Goon was going to start her hour long speech. A girl and a boy came in, quickly apologizing as they gave Ms. Goon their late passes. A few minutes later the door opened again, getting an exasperated sigh from Ms. Goon as she was interrupted was again. A series of gasps and shrieks came after.

I watched horrified as Jinki gave his late pass and took a seat at the last desk by the window. I groaned hitting my head repeatedly with my fist.

_I HATE first days of school._

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wow!! first chapter!!! xD hope you liked it! review ~.~...._.  
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	2. Love is Kind

"_**Love is blind but after experiencing it for a long time you should become familiar with some particular spots."**_  
~Unknown

After the long hour speech, everyone was grateful when the bell rang, signaling the end of the first day of classes. Students rushed out of the classroom, wanting to get as far away as possible from our eccentric Photography teacher. I waved as she took off at last, leaving me in charge of locking the classroom. There're always disadvantages following you when you are the teacher's favorite. I put my camera away and slung my bag over my shoulder. I remembered that I had to close the windows and arrange the desks so I sighed, drooping the bag once again in the desk, as I started closing the windows. A sound came from the back, startling me. I was not the only one in the classroom after all. I suppressed the sob that formed on my throat as I saw Jinki closing the window on the back. _'God! Why is this boy torturing me! Enough'_ I cried silently. I was taken aback suddenly when I realized he was actually helping me. Nobody has ever stayed to help me before.

"Yo-you don't have to do that" he glanced back smiling as he finished closing the window, continuing with the next one. "It's ok; it's not fair to leave the entire job to one person". We continued closing the windows in silence, arranging the desks and chairs on the way. I couldn't help but steal glances at him now and then, when his back was turned. This is why everybody loves him. He was so selfless, always helping others. I bit my lip and mumbled a sorry as I stepped on his foot by accident. He smiled, brushing it off.

He likes to smile a lot now that I think of it.

We finished the task in no time. I closed the door on my way out remembering that Ms. Goon gave me the key before she left to lock up so I had to take it back to the front desk on the main floor. "I'll go with you" Jinki said as I told him I had to take the key back. We slowly made our way to the elevator, and as soon as the doors closed, an awkward mood came on_. 'Why is he being so nice?' _ I knew he was this kind of person but…was he always this NICE? Always helping anyone who happens to cross his path?. I sighed,feeling confused as a small part of me wanted to feel special, having this gorgeous boy helping me out.

"How's your hand?" I blinked as I saw him eyeing my gauzed hand. Smiling, I flexed my hand a little. "It's ok. It doesn't hurt that bad anymore" he nodded and I suddenly remembered Mrs. Taylor's instructions about cleaning my wounds at home. "That's good. You looked like you were in a lot of pain back at the nursery" I whined silently. _'Why did he have to bring that up??' _I smiled nonetheless. "Yeah, I'm not good at dealing with pain, but the torture was worth it cus now they cuts are almost healed" he laughed once again, and I was stupefied by the way his facial features lit the small space. Finally the elevator arrived, and I hurriedly made my way to the front desk, leaving the key with the receptionist. Once we were at the building's entrance, I was about to say goodbye but he offered to accompany me to the school gates.

We walked silently. I didn't know what to say to him. Chewing my lip nervously, I stole quick glances in his direction, noticing all the little details that normally you wouldn't catch. Like the way the sun made his hair glow, making his highlights stand out. How the school uniform fitted him just perfect, accentuating his muscles, like it was made exactly for his body. On his cheeks you could see faint traces of dimples, giving him an air of innocence. And the way his eyes sparkled as he looked ahead, made you wonder what was going on inside his head. I gulped as I tore my eyes away from him. I didn't want to look like a creep, staring so intently.

Everything felt so bizarre right now. A few hours before I was sitting in the nursery meeting him for the first time, and now I was walking with him like nothing. He suddenly turned to look at me and smiled, making me stir my face away to hide my blush. I focused my attention on my feet lastly. "Why did Ms. Goon leave you like that?" I wondered the same thing many times before.

"I've come to the conclusion that it's because I get the higher grades in the class…but it could also be because I'm just a big pushover" We both laughed at that. He admitted he was a big pushover when it comes to teacher's favors. When they gave him the evil '_don't you dare say no'_ look, it's was impossible for him to refuse. I laughed at that, understanding what he meant, but he later added he didn't mind helping around. "No one sticks around to help you after class then?" I stared at him as I thought about it.

"No…I think everyone is too scared of me to even offer help" I laughed bitterly. He frowned a little at that, pursing his lips. Maybe thinking about the unfairness of the situation. Why did it bother him though…it's not a big deal. "I'm not scared…Do you want me to help?" I try to dissimulate the joy that simple request gave me. I acted as _cool_ as possible, shrugging my shoulders, "sure if it's not a problem for you". He shook his head chuckling a little at my cool pose. "I'll stick around for you then" that little promise had my heart racing erratically. I hushed it though, and finally we arrived to the front gates. I suddenly comprehended how childish my behavior had been; scared to meet him again, avoiding him as much as possible. He was so easy to talk to that it made everything _right_.

I could see my limousine parked at the bottom of the big set of stairs. "I better go, I have soccer practice" He said and I thanked him again for helping me out. "Don't worry; I'll be helping you from now on remember?" I laughed and nodded as he waved and headed to the soccer fields. I pouted a little, _'He offered his help and he doesn't even know my name'_ I thought sadly as he got further away.

"Take care of that hand Kibum!" He winked, giving me one last smile before turning right, disappearing out of my sight. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, as I stumbled awkwardly down the stairs. I felt light headed as I realized was just happened. _'He knows my name…WHAT THE HELL?!'_ I shrieked silently. A part of me was happy that he knew who I was but another part was totally freaked out. I suddenly realized something that had me stopping dead in my tracks. _'Why do I care about him knowing my name?? It's not like I like him or something'_. Still asking myself why I cared about what Jinki thought so much, I arrived to my limousine. It was long and black, escorted by two big black hummers filled with bodyguards. My driver opened the door for me, as I stepped in and stretched on the leather seat. The inside was dark making it hard to see anything, thanks to the armored windows. I closed my eyes as the soft purr of the engine somehow relaxed me, numbing my senses. I eventually decided I was fixated in Jinki because I just met him. I didn't want him to have a bad impression of me after the incident in the nursery. I smiled at my conclusion, feeling satisfied enough. But the joy didn't last very long. I still didn't know why it was so easy for me to be around him. I'm usually not that carefree with people I've just met. Maybe Taemin softened me...

'_Whatever…'_ I though, not wanting to press the matter any further.

"WTF Key, what took you so long!?" I think that if it wasn't for the car's rooftop I would have probably jumped 3 meters…or maybe more. I groaned rubbing my head as I eyed murderously the dark silhouette on my left. "Jjong you airhead! What did I tell you about scaring me in the limousine!!?" I grimaced as the said person laughed. I reached a hand to smack the back of his head, earning a whine in response.

Kim JongHyun, or as I fondly called Jjong, was my best friend. We had been best friends since middle school. He was the only one I trusted and truly leaned on. He often got on my nerves with his dorky attitude and stupid pranks, but God knows I love the idiot to death. He was practically another son to my mom and a brother to me…the annoying twin brother I've always dreamt of having. Just like me, he was popular and wealthy, since his parents owned the Roll Royce brand, as well as Porsche and Bentley.

Yep, the kid practically swims in money.

"I don't know why you still jump at this. I've done it so many times but it never grows old!" I reached to smack him again, groaning when he moved out of the way. "Yah, what are you doing here anyway? Didn't your Porsche arrive last week?" the innocent look he gave me told me everything. I just knew him to well.

"JJONG! You just got it!" I gawked picturing the glossy new Porsche, totaled in a junkyard. "It's not my fault! I was innocently driving and I swear to God Key…that dog was suicidal. He practically jumped in front of my car!! I could totally picture him saying '_kill me Jjong! kill me!'_. I was trying not to grant his suicidal wish and then BAM!!" He clapped his hand for effect and I just raised my eyebrow, clearly not amused. "...I hit a tree. But it was for a good cause so I don't have any regrets." I snorted. It was always the same story; every time he got a new car he crashed it within a week. It was kind of creepy actually, like the Ring's _'7 days'_ kind of thing.

We made it to a heavily secured entrance, and as soon as the guards opened the gates we were greeted with beautiful gardens, and elegant gates. It was one of the elite neighborhoods in the country. You couldn't see the houses from the street due to the fact that the land they were built in was immensely huge; vast enough to have a golf course, a barn, a lake… anything you could possibly want. Soon we arrived to this big wooden gate. The guards opened it and the road was adorned with Sakura trees, courtesy of my mom's fanaticism with them. A few minutes later a big house came into view. It was like an 18th century castle that had a Victorian vibe to it. When my mom had recently married my dad, she went to Canada to visit some relatives. She fell in love with this place called the _Hatley Castle_. She came back and demanded my dad a house exactly like that, inside out, so it's like a replica of that castle…but bigger. It even has the same roundabout in the front, with the big colorful gardens surrounding it and stuff.

The car halted to a stop and two maids opened the doors on both sides. We made our way in and the inside was just as beautiful as the outside. Big chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, and a set of grand stairs greeted us at the front. All the people that comes to our house for the first time marvel over the oak and rosewood panelled rooms, the baronial fireplace in the vast living room, teak refined floors on all the 5 levels of the house, and the especially handmade rugs and curtains, imported from India. We hurriedly jumped up the stairs, and through the long corridors filled with sculptures and pricey paintings. I opened the big wooden doors that lead to my room. It was big enough to play soccer and basketball in it…separately.

I put my bag on the bed, as I grabbed the remote control and turned the A/C. The bedroom had the front wall made of glass with big doors leading to the terrace…that looked more like a mini garden than a terrace actually…with the little fountain in the middle and everything. There was a fireplace and a living room, as well as a big LCD hooked with all kinds of video games you can possibly imagine. The poster bed was big enough to fit 6 people, with silk curtains hanging lazily from the sides, and big comfy pillows just waiting for you to put your head on.

I saw Jonghyun kicking his shoes off and sprawling on the bed. I went to the big oak desk and turned my computer on. "Man…we've always been in the same section…why did they change us now" I heard him say as I checked my email. "mmm maybe it's like a punishment for us as you set all the frogs and lab bunnies free last year…forcing me to be your wingman …" he frowned at first but then a goofy smile took place, maybe remembering our stupid adventure at last. "Oh yeah…sophomore year…good times" I scoffed but laughed anyway. Those were good times indeed. I could still remember Jonghyun's whines, pleading me to accompany him to school at 3 in the morning. If I recall, he was in a hippie mood those days.

It still amazed me how smoothly we were able to sneak into the school grounds and manage our way into the Science lab, without getting caught. It would have been the perfect crime actually…if he hadn't carved _Jjong was here _on the table next to the animal cages_. _When I confronted him about it, he claimed he wanted to feel like _El Zorro_ for once, helping those without a voice or something.

"Hey did you hear about the new student with scholarship in your section? He's making a big ruckus! I didn't hear all the details but supposedly he befriended this huge popular guy at school. If there are only 4 popular guys, and leaving us apart, that means he must have befriended Onew…or Minho maybe, but Minho is too unlikely." I shook my head as he pondered. I realized suddenly that Jinki was known in school as Onew, like I was known as Key. I pondered a little about the nickname. I had a slight feeling he wasn't very fond of it like I wasn't very fond of the nickname _'Key'. _All Jjong's fault.

"You're such a gossip girl" I moved my head in time to avoid the pillow that came flying to my face. "Just because I like Sex and the City doesn't mean I like to gossip" Silent came after that as I heard a gulp coming from him, like he had been caught or something. "You told me you only saw it once by accident…" and as soon as I saw his embarrassed face I threw myself on the floor laughing hysterically. I heard Jjong's whines and protests. "It's not my fault!! It's the damn producer's for making it so interesting" He pouted and I just laughed harder. Suddenly a ring came piercing through the speakers. I looked up at the computer and it was a pop-up signaling a video call. I got up from the floor and put my microphone on. As soon as I hit the button _receive_ my mom's face appeared.

"Hi sweetie! How are you?" I smiled and I could hear Jonghyun still protesting in the bathroom.

"I'm ok. A little bored though."

"Aww that's too bad, and how was your first day at school?"

"Boring like always". I pouted. My mom knew how gloomy first days made me. She smiled simpathycaly at me, comforting me. "But it wasn't that bad though. I made a new friend" she was about to ask more, but a hysterical cry came from the bathroom door.

"Hyunaaa~" I groaned as I was pushed out of the desk chair by an overly excited Jonghyun. The two of them started chatting like two little girls about how beautiful the Spa opening had been. When they started talking about facial treatments I just went to my bed and plopped down, starring at the ceiling. I couldn't help but think about Taemin…well, worry actually. _'Did he do ok on his classes? Was he bullied again? Did he get lost again?'_ I couldn't help but frown deeper and deeper as new sceneries came to my mind. My eyelids suddenly started dropping, tired from all the worrying, so I just closed my eyes and let sleep take me.

A few moments later I felt something poking at my ribs. I was greeted with a pair of curious eyes. "Hyuna wants to talk to you" I pushed him aside, hearing a thud as he hit the floor, a whimper afterwards. I took a seat on the desk once again.

"Honey I'm gonna be back tomorrow okay? Take care and stay out of trouble" I nodded, rubbing my eyes as I yawned. My mom cooed at my cute antics. "Oh before I forget, there's chocolate on the fridge. The French one you like so much" as the words chocolate and fridge came out, Jonghyun made a mad dash through the door. I pouted. _'Damn no more chocolate…'_

"Jjong is gonna inhale it all" I said sourly, referring to the fact that he ate so fast he actually didn't eat the food, but INHALE it. My mom laughed at my sour expression.

"Don't worry there's plenty for you two" She said her goodbyes, and I closed the window, shutting the computer off. A few minutes later the chocolate monster came in, his face all smeared like a 3 year old. I frowned at the sight. "Yah you pig! Leave me some!" He rolled his eyes muttering _crybaby_ as he threw a box of chocolate at my way. I just loved these French chocolates. I felt in love with them a few years ago when my mom took me to France to this conference she had to assist.

From the Terrace you could see the sky was already turning dark, with a few rays of orange still visible. Birds flying to their nests and the moon starting to became visible.

Once I was done eating, I got up and went to the big walking closet, grabbing my favorite pj's and a spare pair. I threw the pair of spare pj's at his face, receiving a muffled thanks in response. I quickly made my way to the bathroom, that was just as big as the schools dance studio…and that's saying a lot. It even has its own sauna and massage room.

I took off my clothes and stepped in the shower. I let the hot water run down my body, relaxing my muscles. I sighed at the feeling. This was my favorite part of the day. I didn't have to be aware of anyone. No one was here to judge me, it was just me. Several minutes later, I got out draping a towel over my hips. The big mirror was fogged, and I drew a smiley face, laughing softly at my childish ways. I put my pj's on and went back to the room, drying my hair with a spare towel.

Jonghyun was already in his pj's, hair dripping as he took a shower in the bathroom across the hallway. He was on his stomach on the floor, in front of the TV, playing Resident Evil 4. "Die you stupid zombie!!!...Wha-…Did you just stab me?! That's it you mother f-" he continued rambling as the said zombie was kicking his ass, sucking all his life spam. I simply rolled my eyes smiling. He was traumatized with this game, playing it over and over again. I went to my bed, adjusting myself as I grabbed a book from my nightstand and submerged myself in the pictures and the story. It was a book about the most famous photographs in history.

A comfortable silence hung in the room, disturbed now and then with Jjong's whines and whispers of revenges.

It was 7 o' clock when I grabbed the phone from the nightstand, dialing the kitchen. I told the head butler to bring the dinner to my room. A few minutes later a soft knock came from the door, and soon maids entered, carrying trays of food. We took a seat at the sofa in the living room and started munching the fried chicken and potatoes…I know, classy. There was this really good movie on TV so we stood silent, absorbed in the thriller.

"Hey, now that I remember you never told me who you thought the new kid befriended" We had already finished eating by now, lying back on the couch, enjoying the movie. I sipped my coke, trying to ignore him. Several minutes passed, and only the sound of the TV could be heard. I was starting to worry since Jonghyun hadn't spoken yet.

"It's you right?" I knew he would find out sooner or later. I just nodded, still refusing to meet his eyes.

"Why?" I know what he was referring to. I'm not the type to be nice to new people. He knew this better than anyone, since it took him 4 months to get a smile out of me in middle school. "I don't know…there's something about him that makes me want to protect him" I said shrugging. There was no need to give him all the gory details. I was surprised at the protectiveness that kept taking over me all day. It was like I wanted to be the only one to protect him from any harm. Maybe I was his mother in my past life. It's the only way to explain these weird motherly instincts.

"I want to meet him" I guess Jonghyun was as intrigued as everyone else. I turned around and saw him smiling. I knew he would like him as much as I liked him so it was silly to want to protect Taemin, but a small part of me still feared that he wouldn't be accepted by my best friend. I quickly shook the feeling. We dropped the subject there, and later I remembered there was something that has been nagging me since school and this was the perfect time to bring it up. I chewed at my lip nervously as I tried to think of a subtle way to approach the subject, without arising any suspicions.

"Jjong are you still in the school choir?" I saw him tear his eyes from the TV, arching an eyebrow at the strange question. "Yeah, why?" I shook my head.

"Just wondering…are there any new people that joined?" He thought about it for a while before shaking his head. "It's just the same as always, the boys and girls forming the choir, Mr. Hayes as the choir director, and Onew helping us with the piano" I try to ignore the way my heart skipped a beat at the name. "Oh now that you mention it I met Jinki today" I wanted to bash my head in the table. _'Very subtle Kibum'_.

An amused expression fell on his face. "Onew? Really? I still find it weird that you've never met the guy before. I mean you, me, Onew and Minho are the most popular guys in school…but it's good that you finally met him. He's a really cool guy." I blushed furiously as I agreed with him. I don't know why my heart was beating so jerkily. I got up, and clumsily made my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I hoped JongHyun hadn't caught the change in my attitude.

"Why are you acting so strange suddenly?" I sensed suspicion in his tone, as he was leaning on the door frame, arms crossed. I paused for a moment before tearing my eyes from the door. I knew I wouldn't fool him, he knows me to well. I just shrugged, as I try to focus on my reflection, gaining time by brushing my teeth slowly. "Did something happen…with Jinki?" He pronounced his real name in a mocking way and I cursed as the toothpaste went the wrong way in my throat, causing a series of chokes and gurgles. I felt a couple of pats on my back as I spitted the paste furiously. I mumbled a thanks as I opened the faucet and washed my mouth. I sighed wiping my mouth with the towel.

"Alright spit it out" I said finally, looking at Jjong's amused expression. "I know you want to ask". He looked innocently at me, shaking his head a little "I'm not gonna say anything. I'm not gonna force you to tell me what happened" I snorted, but didn't say anything else. It was 11 o' clock already and we had to wake up early for school. Jonghyun's parents were so used to our sleeping overs that they didn't even call him to ask his whereabouts. But again we live two blocks away from each other in the same neighborhood so what's there to worry about.

The bed was big enough for both of us to sleep in comfortably so I just pulled the covers and snuggled in the warm comfy bed. I felt the weight shift at my right as he pulled the covers on the other side and tucked himself in. I clapped my hands and all the lights went off, only leaving the light of the moonlight coming from the terrace.

I smiled; relaxing as sleep slowly started creeping over me. "Good…sleep knowing that you're hiding something from your best friend…" I groaned as I buried my face on the covers. I knew he wasn't going to let this one pass. I turned, and lightly poked his back. There was no response so I smacked him on the back, earning a yelp in response. He still didn't turn and I sighed. "I accidentally dug my nails into my palm too deep. I went to the nursery and he came in a few minutes later" I waited for the information to kick in. 3…2…1. His pried wavered when it comes to gossip. He swiftly turned around, his eyes glossy with excitement. He clapped his hands enthusiastically, as I pushed my arm over my face, shielding my eyes from the sudden light. "What? You hurt your hand? I don't believe it" I waved my gauzed hand in his face when I suddenly remembered something…very important. "Shoot" I jumped out of bed, running to the bathroom. I heard him close on my tracks as I searched through cabinets for the first aid kit. He didn't say anything as I pushed the kit into his hands, taking a seat on the counter top.

"Clean my wounds" He sighed as he looked at the gauzes, all soggy from my shower. _'How could I've showered and not remember to clean the cuts?_' I thought, feeling stupid and careless. He cut my bandages off, gawking at the cuts. They looked pretty nasty, not healed at all. "The hell did you do Kibum? Carve a chair with your hand or something?" I focused my attention on something else as a wave of searing pain shot through my body. I bit my lip and arched my back, hissing as Jjong smacked my chest telling me to stay still. After several moans and back arching later, the torture was over. I sighed, resting against the mirror. He put the first aid kit back on the cabinet, and grabbed my good hand, dragging me to the bed again. I looked at him with questioning eyes, as he sat in front of me. "Key… Did Mrs. Taylor clean your wounds while Onew was there…only the three of you?" I gasped, and bowed my head after. I was too embarrassed to speak so all I could do was nod. Suddenly a roar of laughter came from Jonghyun. He was instantly crying, clutching his stomach, snorting all the way.

"You jerk" I muttered, pushing the convulsing body out of the bed. A loud thud was heard, but he was too into his laugh to even protest. I frowned clapping my hands and pulling the covers. I was so mad, not at him, but at myself for not being able to act normal while in pain. Later I saw Jonghyun's silhouette, as he sat by my side. "Kibum" I could still hear laughter in his voice. I jerked his hand away, burring myself more in the covers.

"Aww come on! I'm sorry ok? It's just so funny to imagine Onew's face seeing you moaning and everything" I groaned.

"Don't remain me okay! I'm embarrassed enough already. I just want to forget that my moans were the first impression I gave to Jinki" I whined and Jjong just stroke my hair softly. "Don't worry. Onew is too dense to think you did that on purpose. And besides, your not gonna see him again anyway." I groaned turning myself, so I could bury my head on the pillows.

"What…don't tell me you're in the same section" I made a chocked sound as I could feel a headache coming. "Worse…his in the same section, same lunch and same extracurricular class" I said, my voice muffled by the pillows. He sighed, getting up and going to the other side of the bed to get in the covers. I turned around so I was facing him. "Wow…the joy of having the same schedule" He mused, stroking my head in a brotherly way. "It's not that bad thought. I already talked to him and it turns out he didn't think much of it".

"So you even talked to him and everything?" I nodded, biting my lip. I wasn't sure if I should tell Jjong about the little promise made this afternoon. "But I still feel embarrassed though" I pouted and he gave me a reassuring smile, understanding my problem. He was rubbing my back now, lulling me to sleep. "It's weird though…why would Onew subscribe to Dance class…" I shook my head. "He's in my Photography class" an _ahhh_ came from him. "It figures, cus they don't call him dubu for nothing" I threw him a questioning stare. _'What does a piece of tofu had to do with Jinki?'_.

"He's just as clumsy as a tofu" He said, responding my silent question. I chuckled at the thought. Jinki looked too perfect to be as clumsy as a tofu. "He stayed after Photography you know? helping me arrange the desks and everything. He even promised to help me with that task from now on" I couldn't help but giggle as I remembered the bizarre afternoon once again. After I finished giggling I looked at Jjong's amused expression. "What?" After a while his intense stare was making me feel slightly uncomfortable; like he had discovered my deepest secret or something. "You like him" He simply stated and I gawked at him. _'wha-…HUH??' _I thought as a dark blush covered my cheeks. "Evidence" he said pointing at my reddened face.

"That's absurd! I don't even know him" he shrugged, turning to the side, preparing to sleep, and leaving me facing his back. "Love does not know face, age, or sex" He quoted lamely and I just couldn't help but huff and smack his arm before settling under the covers. "I do not like him" I said to him. A few minutes later I received a snore in response. That comment brought a new set of thoughts in to my head. _'Do I…like Jinki?'_ I pondered, quickly shaking the thought aside. It's ridiculous to like someone you just met…right?.

I groaned softly. I was perfectly fine with leaving the matter aside, already settled with a theory for my weird fixation on Jinki and now this moron planted the seed of doubt in my head, bringing new theories to the plate.

"I don't like him" I whispered, trying to convince myself more than ever this time. "If you say it enough maybe you'll believe it" I heard him say, his voice hoarse with sleep. I just simply choose to ignore him. And with those thoughts circling my head, I drifted to sleep.

* * *

…_Our bodies joined together, as he whispered sweet nothings in my ears. I could feel his hot breath against my neck, sending shivers up and down my spine, as I wrapped my arms around his neck, caressing his scalp softly with my fingers. 'Jinki' I mouthed his name, closing my eyes slightly as I felt soft hands rubbing circles on my lower back, traveling up front to rest on my hipbones, pulling me closer to the heat. We stared into each others eyes, leaning closer and closer. I could feel his sweet breath grazing me, his lips brushing lightly against mine. "Key…I want you" His lips moved against mine with each word and I had to suppress the moan that wanted to escape as ours lips collided, sending electric waves through my body. As we parted for oxygen, I was trapped in his lust clouded eyes. I felt him nuzzling my neck, traveling up to my ear, leaving light kisses on the way. His hold on my hips tightened as he hissed on my ear, making me weak with need "Now"…_

* * *

My eyes fluttered open, as I shot up to a sitting position. It was still dark, but you could see the sky slowly tinting itself purple. Maybe 4 or 5 o' clock in the morning. The room was quiet except for the snores coming from my right. I flashed my eyes to the sleeping figure next to me. Jonghyun had the sheets tangled around his legs, snoring loudly and mumbling _'I want a unicorn dammit…'_ now and than as he talked in his sleep.

I tore my eyes from him and took notice that I was drenched from head to toe in sweat, panting heavily. I touched my chest, startled when I felt my heart beating through my shirt. I ran a shaky hand through my hair, trying to steady my quivering body. _'Di-did I just have my first wet…' _My eyes widened at the thought as I swallowed a gasp_. _ I couldn't even bring myself to say it, running to the bathroom without bothering to be quiet. You could hear a faint _'If I can't have a unicorn can I have a pony?...'_ coming from Jonghyun, as I fumbled with the lock; fingers shaking, face burning hot.

_Hormones are fucked up little things aren't they?…_


	3. Love does not envy

"**A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous."**

~Ingrid Bergman 

'BEEP-BEEP-BEE-' I shut the alarm clock off, knocking it to the floor on the way.

I got up, and headed to the bathroom. I frowned at the mirror, seeing red spots on my cheeks as well as big dark bags under my eyes.

I didn't sleep at all after my 'dream' incident. It turns out it was 3 in the freaking morning, instead of 4 or 5 like I've presumed. I still can't believe I dreamt that…and with that person nonetheless. Seriously what's wrong with me?. _'Late adolescence'_ I thought, laughing without humor. It's the first time I've had an experience like that. After I managed to get the bathroom door locked a few hours ago, I took a very…veeeery cold long shower, hoping to get the heat off my body. After the shower I went back to bed and to my dismay I couldn't get back to sleep; afraid of dreaming the same thing again…or maybe the continuation. I shook my head while brushing my teeth, scowling at my hormones.

After I finished, I tried busying myself with something, but my thoughts couldn't help but drift again to the dream. I mean it felt so real…the touches, the kiss; everything was so vivid, so _fresh_. I could still feel the tingly sensation his touches had left. Just the mere thought of where that dream would have lead to brought shivers up and down my spine. I subconsciously brought my fingers to my lips. I couldn't help but wonder if his lips were as soft as they felt in the dream. _'Congratulations Kibum, you've become world's biggest creep'._

I failed horribly at distracting myself so I went back to the bedroom, shaking a snoring Jonghyun up. "Wake up, we have to get ready" I heard him mumbling and rolling around, covering himself with the covers in a cocoon way. I rolled my eyes and frowned when I saw the pillow all soaked in drool. _'I'm so burning that pillow'_. Frustrated I smacked his arm; another failed attempt to wake him up. An idea crossed my mind suddenly and I snickered evilly as I leaned on his ear. "Omg Jonghyun! Can you believe your mom finally succeeded on throwing your care-bear boxers away??" I whispered. In seconds he shot up, eyes wide open looking frantically from left to right. I snorted while he figured out it was a lie.

"That was mean" He pouted. Jonghyun has this old pair of boxers he simply adores. The said boxers have printed hearts and care-bears all over the fabric. He claims it's perfectly normal to wear that kind of boxers but….What kind of sane person would buy a pair of boxers that come with a care-bare plushy as a gift? seriously. Jonghyun's mom, on the other hand, HATES those boxers. She had tried to burn, cut, bleach, dye the boxers, but as Jonghyun says "It only makes them stronger". Creepy

"I needed to wake you up" I shrugged and he just pouted, muttering "boxer bully". While he started stretching like a cat on the bed I went to my wardrobe and picked two uniforms. I handed him one and went to the bathroom to get ready. An hour later I was all set, starring at the mirror, trying to hide the dark bags under my eyes with some of my mom's makeup I managed to sneak out of her room. "You couldn't sleep last night?" I felt something weird on my stomach when he said that. I decided to hide my wet…well you know what experience from him as I simply nodded. "Yeah. Your snores are getting impossible to tolerate" He protested and I just laughed. A few minutes later I saw him growing impatient in the door frame. "Come on! Your face looks fine already…not like mine, but close" I snorted. "Like yours?"

"My face is as smooth and cute as a baby's tushie" He said while caressing his face with the back of his hand, a stupid grin plastered on his lips.

"So you're saying your face looks like an ass?"

"Not an ass…a sexy ass"

I just rolled my eyes and grabbed his hand, dragging him out of the room and to the big dinning room on the first floor. It was one of those dinning rooms that could fit 20 people comfortably. We took a seat and the maids hurriedly came through the kitchen door, placing several plates of foods for us to choose from. I settled for a fruit salad as he shoved pancakes and sausages down his throat. "You're like a walking heart attack you know that?" He stuck his tongue out and continued eating. Finally it was time to make our way to the bus stop so we stood up and out of the mansion. The limousine was already parked in front of the stairs, waiting for us.

"You should stop by the choir practice today" We were already settled on the limo. I arched an eyebrow at his weird suggestion. "Why?" He shrugged, staring innocently at the Sakura trees we were passing by. "You need an excuse to get to know Onew right? Come by to the choir and I'll introduce you two formally. I think it'll take about a week probably for you two to hook up." He yelped loudly when I pinched his arm. "Don't you dare mention something stupid to him Kim Jonghyun or I swear I'll castrate you to oblivion" He whimpered but didn't say anything else. We didn't say anything else for quite sometime. But soon this peace was interrupted once again, thanks to Jonghyun's smart propositions.

2"Still, pass by the choir. You should hear how talented your man is!! Do you remember the song I told you I was the lead singer in? Well, he nails it heads down. You should come and hear it." I stood dumbfounded. _'My…man?' _I shot daggers at him but he simply ignored them.

"It's only fair to know all the skills that the person you like possesses"

"I'll think about it" I sighed, finally giving in.

"Hey…you didn't deny liking him this time. Oh well its obvious…you even call him by his name and everything"

"Shut up"

We arrived finally. The bus stop was packed with police officers and body guards as always. We stood there waiting with other kids as the bus finally came around the corner. We waited for everyone to step in, being the last ones to climb. We took a seat at the final row and settled in. "Is Taemin in this bus?" I jumped a little, startled by the sudden question. I saw him bouncing up and down on the seat, eager. The girls in the bus cooed at the sweet sight and I gagged, receiving a light punch in the shoulder.

"Yep, he's in the next bus stop" A few minutes later we came to the stop. More people came in and I furrowed my eyebrows as there was no sight of Taemin. I saw Jjong opening his mouth to ask, but finally Taemin stepped in. He was wearing the school uniform now, with his section pin and his tie neatly done. The uniform made him look so innocent and cute I had to smile. He blinked, confused when he heard girls shrieking and giggling. I guess his cuteness was giving him some positive attention, which was good. People could start caring more about who he was and not his social status anymore.

He smiled as he spotted me at the back, waving. I pushed Jjong aside so Taemin could seat in the middle. He hesitated when he saw Jjong but sat down nonetheless. I saw him shifting nervously in his seat, playing with the hem of his waistcoat. He was shy.

"Taemin, this is my best friend Kim Jonghyun" I introduced them and Taemin nodded, turning around to greet Jjong.

……….no one could have foreseen what happened next. Not even me, the _best friend_.

Arms latched themselves around the small boy. I watched in horror as Jjong rubbed his cheek against Taemin's. _'sooo cute'_ and _'Can I have one for my birthday?'_ were the only things coming out of him as he eyes were all glazed over, wide smile spread across his face. I could literally see hearts coming out of him, seriously. Taemin was just speechless. He had this blank expression on his face; probably registering the fact that this stranger was hugging him like there was no tomorrow. "OMG!!!! He's soo cute Key! God I could just bite him!!" I shrieked when I saw he was actually leaning to bite Taemin's shoulder. I got up and sat between them, making him release the boy. All the while Taemin didn't speak and that worried me a little. Jonghyun started protesting as he was about to embrace him again and I just gave him a _'touch and be castrated'_ glare, shutting him up at last. "You could at least say something to Taemin before smothering him to death" I said sternly and he just pouted but nodded as he turned his attention once again to the perplexed boy.

"Hi Taemin I'm Jonghyun….Can I adopt you???" I jabbed him in the ribs, earning a grunt in response. "Be serious" I hissed and he just sighed saying something about not being understood or appreciated enough, but I could see he turned back to normal finally…well as normal as he can be. "I'm sorry if I scared you Taemin. You're just so cute!! But don't worry I promise I won't scare you like that again. Like Key already told you, I'm his best friend. We've been friends since middle school and I hope you and I can be friends too" I smiled when I heard the sincerity in Jonhyun's words. Taemin blinked one…two…three times in a row without saying anything. I bit my lip, nervousness oozing from my body. Maybe my desire to have Taemin and Jonghyun getting along was too delusional. Jjong was about to ask him what's wrong, but Taemin's response amused me and Jonghyun as well.

He started chuckling and the chuckles turned into giggles and soon into full laughter. We waited for him to calm down. "I'm sorry, it's just that this is the first time someone has threaded me like this. No one has ever told me I was cute or something like that so…for someone that I've just met to be so welcoming……well, I'm quite flattered actually." He said smiling and I just stood there, bewildered as Jjong cooed, hugging Taemin once again, and to my dismay, being hugged back.

I heard some _awww's _coming from the front. It looked like our little scene didn't pass unnoticed by the entire bus. I blushed, feeling quite embarrassed by the whole situation. "I'm sorry for his weird behavior before…he has a really weak spot for cute things, really" I said to Taemin as they pulled away for each other. Jjong took his eyes from Taemin, pouting slightly. "It's ok. I'm glad I'm able to make more friends" He giggled, earning a squeeze from Jjong, who still had one arm wrapped around his shoulders. "Yah you're gonna scare him again" I said when Jjong didn't make any sign of letting go. He reluctantly let go and Taemin just smiled, relaxing finally that the weird greeting was over.

"Taemin, Key told me you are new?" Taemin bobbed his head and proceeded to tell Jjong his story. After hearing how the poor boy was bullied at his last school and forced to change, Jjong cursed whoever dared to treat Taemin that way and bowed to hunt down anyone who tried to hurt him again. I could tell Jjong was sincerely happy about meeting Taemin; his eyes never lie. I was glad they got along so well in such short time and since they hit it off immediately there were no awkward moments after that. We spent the entire ride telling Taemin all our crazy high school stories, like the time Jonghyun dressed up like a girl when we were in our freshmen year. He somehow managed to deceive all the students, even the teachers. It was justified since he looked pretty good in girl clothes, or as the male student body proclaimed: _'FREAKING HOT'_. Of course it was Jjong…he only lasted 2 days like that. He forgot that girls peed in the girls' bathroom…yeah his THAT stupid. He got himself two weeks of detention and a lot of date offers from the male population. He still receives them though.

We finally arrived, getting out of the bus and making our way through the sea of students, finally arriving to the front gates. Taemin was receiving more stares now, but I could tell the stares weren't spiteful like yesterday. These were curious stares…people interested in the cute new boy.

Jonghyun waved at us as he proceeded to make his way to section B. "See ya later Taemin, Key" We waved back as he turned around to head to his classes but he suddenly turned around again, with a mischievous expression on his face. "Don't forget to come and visit me in choir Key" He winked and I just shot daggers at his back. "Damn you Kim Jonghyun" I muttered and Taemin blinked, not quite understanding my mood swing.

"He is in choir?" I turned to meet Taemin's curious eyes. I nodded as we made our way to math class. "Yeah…he's a moron, but he has a killer voice". Class was already half full so we took our seats and waited for Mr. Baker.

"Hey how was your Advanced Chemistry class yesterday?" I saw how his face turned pale. A few seconds later I stood amused as a big bright blush suddenly adorned his cheeks. He played nervously with his pencil, doodling in his notebook now and then. That behavior just made me more curious. "It's was really good. We got paired up and everything. The bad thing is that we have a project to deliver next week with our lab partner." I didn't understand why that made Taemin nervous…maybe it was some astral crap they had to deliver or something; I've always hated Chemistry. He didn't say anything else and I decided not to press the matter any further. Just in cue, Mr. Baker came in and everybody groaned at the sight of papers on his hands. A big smile formed on his lips as the dreaded words all teenagers fear were pronounced.

"Pop Quiz"

* * *

I sighed. The quiz was brutal. I barely passed it. I stared in awe at Taemin's brilliance. He finished his in 10 minutes, getting an A+. He IS a scholarship holder after all, but I still wonder how so much intelligence could fit into such a small body.

We made it through all our classes and finally it was lunch time. We arrived at the cafeteria and headed directly to the already formed line at the buffet area. I smiled, eyeing the potato biscuits. I love potato biscuits. After 10 minutes of waiting we made it to the buffet, finally stuffing our trays with food like a pair of starving beggars. Growing sprout.

I rolled my eyes at Taemin as he waved his lunch money in my face, letting me know he was going to pay for his own food today. We paid…well HE paid and we made our way to the second floor, sitting on the same table we sat yesterday. As we were eating I told him about my bad luck yesterday, having Jinki in the same class and everything. He eyes bulged and later on he nodded; "I know how you feel". I was about to ask why but suddenly a shadow fell upon Taemin, as a tall boy stood behind him.

Choi Minho was a dream. He was tall, slightly tanned, with big chocolate eyes full of allure and a really charismatic smile. Well, a really charismatic smile WHEN he smiled, since he was known for being really quiet and serious, not bothering to mess with anyone. He only showed his true colors to his best friend, Jinki. Minho was a senior and part of the School's Sport Team, called _Dream Team. _It was a privilege to be in the Dream Team since it was the best school's sport team in the country. Each year Dream Team competed with other countries' school teams, always earning first place. They integrated Track and Field, Basketball, Soccer, Baseball, and some other sports. Minho happens to have the huge responsibility as the team's captain. Jinki was part of the Team too, so those two were very close to each other.

"Hi Taemin" I coughed a little when I heard him voice Taemin's name. I diverted my eyes from him and saw a cute little blush appear on Taemin's cheeks as he bit his bottom lip. He turned around and greeted Minho.

"About the chemistry project, can you meet me at the library at 4? I have soccer practice and I can't make it any sooner" Taemin nodded and waved as Minho took off. I stared in disbelief as he turned around once again, poking his food, not eating anymore. "Minho is your chemistry partner?" He bit his lip and nodded, swirling his fork around the mashed potatoes. I smiled sympathetically at him. _'So this is why he was so nervous…our cute little Taemin has a crush'_ I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. "Why? I mean your last name is Lee and his last name is Choi…there's no match" He sighed and shook his head. "I came late so everyone was already paired up. Minho was the only one alone."

"And did Minho do anything to you? Did he bully you or something?" He gasped and shook his head furiously. "Then why are you so nervous?" I knew it was mean but it's so cute how he tried to hide his obvious crush. He made a choked sound, like he wanted to say something but didn't know how. Finally his shoulders hunched. "He's…intimidating" I knew there was more into it than that but if he didn't want to say I wasn't gonna nag about it. I was going to say something else, trying to change the subject but Taemin suddenly started telling what happened yesterday exactly.

-----Flashback (Taemins POV)-----

_After the elevator doors closed I made my way to the chemistry lab. I was a little confused since the hallways are so long but I managed to make it on one go. Mr. Henderson was already starting his class and I apologized, giving him the late pass. "Well everyone already has a partner…I guess you could pairr up with Minho then" I scanned the room, feeling a little self conscious as the girls shot daggers at me, no clearly understanding why. I think the teacher got exasperated as he simply pointed the desk at the back. A boy was already sitting in there, but I didn't really see who he was as I bowed a little and quickly made my way to the desk. I took a seat as Mr. Henderson started his lecture once again. "Hello my name is Taemin" I said and turned around to greet the boy properly. He was the most beautiful boy I've ever seen. Toned body, wavy hair pulled back in a ponytail and big chocolate eyes staring intently at me. "Hi I'm Minho" He simply stated and I nodded, forcing myself to turn my attention back to Mr. Henderson at the front. _

_I shifted nervously on the chair as the teacher gave us instructions about the assignment we were about to do. We were going to analyze the pH of different substance; something easy to begin the year with. We took our notebooks out and headed to the storage room on the back to grab a lab coat. _

_We stood in silent as we started with the lab, filling the test tubes with different substances. "You're new?" He asked and I whipped my head in his direction. He didn't seem the type to start a conversation so the question threw me off for a while. I smiled and nodded, grateful that he was making an effort to make the mood less awkward. "Yeah, I won a scholarship" His eyes widen a little at the information. "So you're the new student in section C everyone is fussing about" I blushed and I could have sworn I heard a small chuckle coming from him, but I was scribbling down some notes on my notebook so I couldn't really see. "I guess…scholarships are not as common as I thought in this type of school" I said, laughing nervously. I gasped when a hand fell on top of my mine, stopping me from scribbling more notes. "Look!" he was at the left side of the table, one arm extended to grab my hand and the other one grabbing the gas burner by the base, heating the water on the beaker with the test tube inside. The substance inside the tube was slowly transforming into different shades, like a rainbow. I stood there, amazed, but then I realized his hand was still on top of mine. I gulped when he nudged my hand, turning around with a big smile on his face, his eyes glimmering with excitement. "Cool right?" I bobbed my head, not able to utter a single word. His smile was just too overwhelming. He let go of my hand and continued to watch with interest the test tube. I stumbled to his side and stared at the tube too with curiosity._

_I couldn't help but drift my attention back to Minho. 'He's so good looking' I thought as I trace all his sharp features with my eyes. You could tell he worked out by the way the shirt outlined his muscles. I saw a little pin on his waistcoat with 'B section' labeled on it. 'He's a senior in section B' I thought as I grabbed a chemistry book from the top shelf on the back and headed back to our table. I opened the book but I all I could see was a big blur as my thoughts were tightly bounded to the tall senior at my left. I tried to make it look like I was concentrated on the book, looking for some formula; I even furrowed my eyebrows to make it look more convincing. He turned his head in my direction, eyeing the book first and then my determined expression. I jumped a little when a heard the chuckles coming from him. This time I turned around to confirm it and in fact he was chuckling, looking more handsome…if possible. I bit my lip, returning my attention to the book with a big blush creeping on my chubby cheeks. _

_I suddenly felt someone standing beside, hand falling on my shoulder. "Taemin. The book is upside down"_

------End of Flashback (end of Taemin's POV)------

"I wanted to die right then and there. I made myself look like an idiot" He whined and I couldn't help but sympathize with the poor boy. "I know how you feel Taeminie. Something like that happened to me with Jinki" He nodded, pouting as the memory was still fresh in his mind. "Did he say something else after that?" He shook his head and took a sip of his orange juice. "Nope, he just kept chuckling at my clumsiness through out the rest of the lab" He sighed and I just smiled. Now I knew he really had a crush on Minho. I was glad he shared his feelings with me. I didn't have to get it out of him and that made me happy…I didn't want to be like Jjong and his psychological torture. '_Speaking of the devil'_.

I saw a raven haired boy entering the cafeteria. He was happily chatting with a bunch of senior girls. I sighed. _'Gossiping as always…he's such a girl'._

Taemin smiled as Jonghyun waved enthusiastically from the first floor, running all the way to the second floor and to our table. "Hey guys what's up?" I slapped his hand as he took one of my potato biscuits, shoving it in his mouth. "What are YOU doing here? You're supposed to be in French class right now" He just shrugged as he gladly accepted the food Taemin passed him. "You have lunch 2 then?" Jjong nodded at Taemin's question. "Yeah it's sucks…Key and I've always been in the same lunch and section until now".

"As much as I…love…having you here, you should go back to your French class" I scoffed when he made his famous puppy dog eyes, earning a giggle from Taemin. "Please let me stay Key! Besides _J'ai_ _vécu 6 ans en France alors je sais parler français déjà_". I rolled my eyes and continued eating. "Yo-you speak French fluently?" Taemin asked in astonishment and I laughed. "He lived in France for 6 years".

"I lived there with my family and then I moved here, eventually meeting this sorry excuse for a human" I cursed when he ducked the French fry I threw him. "Wow that's so cool! I suck at French" He pouted and Jjong offered to tutor him in his French lessons. The boy agreed and suddenly I felt so blissful, seeing how well my new friend and my best friend were getting along. I laughed heartedly when Jonghyun told Taemin he was going to call him Minnie from now on, not even bothering to ask him for agreement.

"Hey Minnie did you know Key is in love with Onew?" I choked on my soda as Taemin stared at me with curiosity. "Really Kibummie?" I blushed and shook my head as I glared murderously at Jjong, kicking him under the table. "Alright! You don't have to get all bitchy about it…sorry he's not in love" I sighed relieved and smiled at Taemin. "That's right. I'm not in love with him Taeminnie, that's ridiculous" He nodded and laughed when I kept glaring at Jjong, promising a painful silent death with my eyes. "Yep it's true Minnie he's not in love with him, he just likes him" I groaned and cursed as he started telling Taemin all his theories about why I liked Jinki. In the end I stared in disbelief as he agreed with Jjong's over the top explanations. "Well…if you look at the evidence…you may have a crush on him" I pouted and they high fived each other, taking my silent as approval. I didn't even bother to protest anymore, cause' right now…I'm didn't even know my own feelings.

We spent the rest of the lunch talking about other things and soon it was time for our extracurricular classes.

We made our way to the building and I couldn't help but feel butterflies in my stomach. I was nervous, I didn't know if I was gonna be able to see Jinki in the eyes after the dream incident last night. Jjong had Acting and Art classes…he was hyperactive so he needed something to drain his energy and those classes were active enough. We stepped in the elevator and dropped Taemin off first. Jjong and I had the first classes on the same floor so we both headed to the second floor. "I see you liked Taemin" I said once we arrived at the second floor.

"Yeah, he's such a cool kid. I can see us becoming friends already" He smiled and I nodded, "Me too". He dropped me off at the dance studio and made me promise again to go to the choir practice after classes. I made my way inside and blinked, confused by the depressing mood in the room. All the members where sitting on the floor, with sad expressions on their faces. Junho, who was always jumping up and down, was drawing circles on the floor with his finger, a big pout clear on his face. "Key the talent show arrangements arrived today" Junsu said. Each year, the school had a talent show. All the extracurricular classes were obligated to perform in the show, but the thing is that the school tells you what you have to make your performance about. "It's to make it more interesting" They say. After the word's left Junsu's lips I knew why they were so down. "God! please tell me we're not gonna dress up like farm animals like last year" I groaned, taking a seat on the floor with the rest of them. They said nothing as Chansung passed me the arrangement settings. I thought my eyes might pop out any second as I stared at the paper, mouth hanging open as a silent sob formed deep in my throat. I couldn't believe what I was reading:

**Extracurricular Class**: Dance

**Talent Performance:** 20 minutes mix dance

**Performance name:** U-GO-BOY

**Performance Description:** a compilation of all the popular girl group dance's. (See the footnote for the list of all the girl groups and songs)

I stared at the paper for about 15 minutes. This stupid talent show was getting worse and worse each year. I finally placed the paper back on the floor, joining the depressing mood too. "How much time do we have?" I lifted my face. Junsu sighed as he got up and headed to the calendar on the front wall by the door. He grabbed a marker and put an X on May 3rd. "About a month" everyone gaped. We had to learn all the girl group dances, choose the best moves, integrate the moves into one fluid dance, make the remix AND practice; all in one month. "Are they crazy?" I asked and he just nodded. "Fuck! We're gonna be dressing as girls too???" Seungho, another member, screamed and everyone just drop themselves on the floor, groaning at the unfairness of the situation. "Well we better get started boys. Each year we've given the best performance…and this year is no difference" Junsu said after a few minutes, trying to cheer us up as the leader. Nobody could refuse. Deep down you could feel the adrenaline pumping in your system, eager to conquer this new challenge.

We spent the rest of the hour going through the list of songs we had to perform. Some dances were easier than others and some of us already new the majority of the songs so that was a plus. The bell rang and we bid ourselves farewell as we took off in different directions. A couple of minutes later I arrived to my Photography class. I stepped in and quickly spotted Jinki sitting in the back like yesterday. I felt a knot on my stomach, all my problems forgotten. As my heart was racing like a hummingbird I realized something quite interesting. _'It's true…I like Jinki'_ when that thought crossed my mind I felt my knees quivering under me and I had brace myself for support. I managed to take a seat on the chair and I turned to the window, feeling the cool air calming me somehow. I felt relieved and scared at the same time. Relieved that finally I had an answer to all my doubts, not having to stress over that anymore, and scared because….I've never been in love. I've never met someone that made me feel the way Jinki makes me feel…like walking butterfly colonie. He had made me fall so fast for him that it was frightening. Well I guess that's why they called it _Love at first sight_.

"Hello everyone" Ms. Goon said as she entered the room. I sat properly, trying to clear my mind a little. "I have some interesting new to give you. As you know, each year our class makes a Photography contest, giving the first 3 places wonderful prices. This year we're gonna start the contest earlier because it's a special project this time. It's gonna be in pairs" Everyone was ecstatic about this. The photography contest was really popular in our school and the prices were truly great. Last year they gave the winner a week off school and free lunch for a year. I couldn't participate last year because of my anemia but this year I was looking forward to it. "Now don't get all excited. The pairs are gonna be done by me" Everybody groaned but agreed to anyway.

Ms. Goon grabbed the list and started naming the pairs. They were done according to your list number. I was number 18 and number 19 was Kim Hyun Joong whom I already knew. He was a senior. We have already been paired up before and I was glad he was my partner cause' he's really good at handling the camera. Ms. Goon finished and instructed us to get together with our partners. I stood confused as I couldn't find Hyun Joong anywhere. "Ms. Goon I think Hyun Joong didn't come today" I was at her desk and she looked across the room, searching for any sign of the said boy. "You're right, he's not here. I better check what happened" She stood up and out of the room, leaving me standing alone in front of the classroom as everyone else chatted animatedly with their partners, oblivious to Ms. Goon's absence. A few minutes later she came back with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry Kibum, Hyun Joong caught the swan flu so he's not gonna be attending classes for a while. Don't worry I'm gonna find you another partner." She said and I nodded, returning to my seat. _'Hope he gets better'_ I thought as I pulled my agenda out, marking all my upcoming events while I waited_. 'Jjong's birthday is coming up…what should I do… surprise party?'_ I pondered. I didn't notice a boy standing next to my desk so it scared the crap out of me when a small _'hello'_ came from him. I was about to fall from the chair but strong steady arms pulled me together as I felt myself being lifted and push against a soft surface to regain my balance. _'What the hell is wrong with my balance today?'_ I shrieked silently.

I could only gasp as I realized that the owner of the arms that held me to the ground…the owner of the soft toned chest I was against to…the owner of that radiant care free smile….was no other than Lee Jinki. "Sorry for scaring you" He said as he placed my rigid body back to the chair. I murmured a thanks, blushing furiously as he grabbed a chair and sat beside me. "Ms. Goon told me your partner wasn't gonna be able to participate so…Hi, my name is Lee Jinki and I'm your new partner" He said and I couldn't help but smile at how cute he looked introducing himself. "Hi Jinki, I'm Kim Kibum" I said after I managed to find my voice. I was going to say more but Ms. Goon cut me off as she started giving more instructions about the contest.

"Now that you're all with your assigned partner I'm gonna continue with the instructions. The contest is gonna be based on concepts. Each pair is gonna have different concepts that you're gonna have to portrait in pictures. It doesn't matter how you do it, as long as it is in a photo. You're gonna present your work in a photo album and as you already know, the albums are gonna be exhibit in the school's gallery so all the students can vote. The photo album that gets more votes is gonna be the winner. The prices this year are…a surprise. I want you to do your best effort since you only have 2 weeks to pull it off. Good Luck" Everyone gasped after hearing the last part of the instructions. Two weeks to do a photo album…impossible. "I'm gonna name pair by pair and I want you to stand up and come to the front so I can assign your concept". She called out the first couple, earning shrieks, claps and protests as she started the concept assignment.

"mmm…friend's concept"

"You two don't look very well together…enemy's concept"

"Wow you two look alike. Brother's concept"

"Mother and son concept"

"Twin's concept…I know you don't look alike, but that's the difficulty"

"Dog and Owner concept…well you're hair already has a Chihuahua thing going on…"

The groans and protests kept rising as the concepts turned more and more bizarre. I was already nervous when she mentioned us to step forward. Everyone stared and murmured as they noticed us. She eyed me as I fidgeted nervously. "Friend's concept" She finally announced and I sighed, relieved that I didn't have to embarrass myself with some weird concept. I looked at Jinki and he smiled, making me blush. "Wait" I froze. I felt Jinki tense beside me, as she eyed us again.

"I change my mind. Couple concept"

I could feel the blood draining from my face as Jinki gaped at Ms. Goon. The class erupted with cheers and claps. Two hot guys acting like a couple…and this was the response?. "What?" I shrieked. Ms. Goon smiled, looking satisfied with her decision. "I think you two have a good chance of portraying the essence of a relationship. I'm gonna look forward to your album." She said at last and proceeded to call the next couple. Jinki and I made it back to the desk. "This sucks…" I muttered silently and he nodded in agreement. I wanted to slap myself as a small part of me felt eager to be able to act like a couple with Jinki. _'Not the time'_ I thought harshly. "Well we're gonna have to work harder to make this work" He said and I smiled at his bright attitude.

"Do you have anything in mind? I personally like b&w pictures" I suggested and he blinked. "I'm really….not that good in all this photography stuff" He admitted and I couldn't help but arch an eyebrow. "Don't mind me asking but…why are you here then?" he laughed. "Even though I know nothing, I want to learn" He said and I smiled, understanding his feelings. "Oh!!! I have an idea! What do you think about Polaroid pictutes? Like the ones you take with your friends and stuff" He smiled brightly and nodded, enjoying the idea already. I borrowed a Polaroid camera from a friend in class. "Thanks Mir, I promise I'll give it back later" The orange haired boy smiled as he waved his hand. "It's ok; use it as much as you want". I went back to my desk as Jinki took the camera in his hands, eyeing it curiously. He pressed the red button by accident and for a moment I was blinded by the sudden flash. The picture came out instantly and once it was dry he tilted his head, studying the picture with sudden interest. It was me, biting my lower lip and staring at the camera. "Cute" He said, earning a blush from me in response.

People were already taking pictures, starting with the project already since we only had 2 weeks to arm the whole concept. We started discussing how we were gonna start the project, already making plans to go to the amusement park, the beach, and all this couple locations. I won't deny it….I felt eager. I couldn't wait to go to those places and get to know more about this boy who stole my heart the moment I laid eyes on him. "We have to think of an album name" He said suddenly and I just blurted the first thing that came to my mind; "Love at first sight". I wanted to throw myself through the window, embarrassed by my cheesy suggestion but he smiled widely. "I like it".

"Are you going to start taking pictures now?" Ms. Goon said, standing in front of our desk as she was helping the couples that were already taking pictures. "Mmm sure" We said, not really caring about taking pictures right now. I looked around for a good spot to take pictures on, but all the good ones where already taken by other couples so we stood by the window. "I know it's awkward but try to loosen up ok. Maybe you should move a little closer" She suggested, the Polaroid camera already on her hands, ready to take the picture. We moved closer together and sighed when she rushed us to move closer. "oh CUTE!!!" a girl shrieked from across the room as her partner made some weird dance movement. I was distracted by the shriek, no paying attention were I stepped. I suddenly tangled my feet on my bag's strap, loosing my balance rapidly. _'Do I have a brain tumor or something???!!'_. I closed my eyes and I felt Jinki's arms surrounding me once again, but this time it was too late for him to steady me so I pushed him a little, making him stumble backwards by the force, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt for support. I was able to gain my balance as I collided with something warm and soft. I opened my eyes seeing how close I was actually. I felt Jinki's arms holding my waist and I stood there, frozen as I realized our current situation. I collided with something warm and soft…his lips. I clutched the fistfuls of shirt harder and I felt him pulling me closer. Eyes widen as he returned the kiss and to my utter horror I responded, my body ignoring any rational thought at the moment. I could hear the flash of the Polaroid camera and the teacher's joyous replies at our good _'acting'_.

This lasted only seconds as we remembered suddenly we were in a classroom FULL of people. We parted finally and I felt my cheeks all flushed as Jinki coughed a little, feeling as embarrassed as I was. "I'm sorry" He said and I shook my head. "It's ok, we were only acting" I said, trying to convince myself of that, "Yeah…acting". Ms. Goon congratulated us for our good effort as she gave us back the camera and the photos taken. Once the photos were dry we both were blown away with the results.

In the picture you could see a tall handsome boy holding tightly by the waist a smaller, delicate boy. The smaller boy gripped the other one's shirt as they both had their eyes close, loosing themselves in the sweet kiss they shared. The two boys in the photo could easily fool anyone. They looked deeply in love. "I-It looks good" He stuttered suddenly and I nodded. The picture was really good; good enough to be portrayed in a magazine. Still blushing a little I turned the picture around, grabbing a pen from my bag.

'_First photo'_ I wrote, labeling the picture and putting it away in my bag. I thought crossed my mind and I couldn't help but freeze. 

_That was my first kiss…_


	4. Love does not boast

"_There can be no happiness equal to the joy of finding a heart that understands."  
_~Victor Robinson

The air was cold. It was six in the morning and the park was desolated. People where still sleeping peacefully in their beds, unaware of the thin layer of snow that fell last night. I rubbed my gloved hands together, coaxing them to keep the heat flowing. Bored, I started pushing myself forward, making the swing move; the metal hangers groaning in protest from the weight.

You may be wondering why I was freezing my ass off at six in the morning on a park swing. Well, it's been two days now since the day I figured out I liked Jinki…and the day he stole my first kiss. Everything has passed by like a blur. Excruciating dance practices, tons of homework and the Photography contest; I feel like I might melt into a puddle any time soon. Jinki hasn't been having it easy either, with his Dream Team practices after school, helping the choir with their talent show, the ridiculously long essays seniors were obligated to do and the Photography contest. We decided it was better to skip class today in order to advance with the project, cause' 1 hour per day wasn't enough to do all the things we've planned. We chose the park as our first location. It's really common to see couples taking pictures and having dates in a park, specially this one. But of course, today was a BIG exception. Who would want to expose their girlfriend/boyfriend to such extreme weather?. _'Obviously us…'_ I though grimly.

I started pushing myself harder, making the swing fly in the air. I laughed heartedly as the cold breeze colored my cheeks, playing with my hair on the way. I yelped suddenly as hands started pushing me forward from behind. "You've been waiting long?" I recognized the voice immediately so I sighed in relief. "Not much. Three hours maybe" He laughed and I turned my head a little, smiling as he continued pushing me forward. Over the past few days my friendship with Jinki has been creasing smoothly. I've found out a lot about him. His parents were doctors. They owned the biggest pharmacies in the country and he wanted to be a doctor too, taking over the family's business one day.

After a while he stopped pushing, taking a seat on the swing next to me. "Did you bring the tripod?" He blinked a couple of times. "Yep…well, I guess this is a tripod" He pulled out the metal tripod he was carrying on his back. "Yeah this is a tripod. Very good!" I clapped my hands as he brimmed happily. He wasn't joking when he said he didn't know anything about photography, but I was happy to teach.

I shivered suddenly; the temperature probably dropped down a few degrees. He stared at me for a little before standing up. "Wh-What are you doing?" I asked nervously as he took off his scarf and stepped closer. "I'm saving your body" He murmured. I tried to look anywhere but him while he carefully wrapped the scarf around my neck, securing it at the front with a 2sloppy knot. "You're gonna freeze to death…" I mumbled, thanking God my cheeks were already rosy from the cold, hiding my blush. "I'm strong you know" He said, grinning. He pinched my nose and took a seat again. I pouted, rubbing my red nose. "You're not superman though…".

"I hate the snow…" He said suddenly, kicking the snow covered ground with his black pug boot. "Really?....I love it" He arched an eyebrow; an amused expression covering his face. "I love how everything looks beautiful and delicate underneath it" I answered his silent question. We stood quiet for a while; swinging slowly and looking at the desolated playground. "I guess you're right….Everything looks breath taking in the snow" I just smiled ahead, not noticing how his gaze was directed at my way. "Shall we start?" I suggested, standing up and stretching. He got up and dusted himself since it started snowing a while ago. I laughed suddenly.

"Why are you laughing?" I didn't answer, taking the Polaroid camera out of my backpack and taking a picture right away. "H-Hey!!...At least say _cheese_" He pouted and I just rolled my eyes, smiling. I handed him the picture and he groaned at the image. His hair was full of snowflakes, making him look like a Christmas tree. "It's cute" I complimented. I had a slight feeling he was blushing, but I couldn't tell since his cheeks were already flushed. It amused me how accustomed I've gotten to him. Even with my growing feelings towards him, I've been able to act normal…well, I still stutter and blush, but I could live with that. I was snapped out of my thoughts as he grabbed my hand, leading me to the small forest.

"This is a good spot" We were standing at the bottom of this huge oak tree. He let go of my hand and proceeded to set the tripod. Once everything was settled I angled the camera correctly, making it catch the right light.

"Spontaneous pictures are the best don't you think?" I said after 15 minutes of failing to get a good picture. He sighed, nodding as he dusted his snow covered hair. "Spontaneous…" He pondered while I set the camera in automatic again. I positioned myself beside him once it was set. "Alright, say chee-" He pulled me closer by the waist, rubbing his nose against mine with a devilish grin. I smiled, knowing it was for our album's sake, but the look he had in his eyes…it made me want to lean just a little bit closer. I turned to look at the camera as it kept taking pictures in the automatic mode. I laughed as I felt Jinki's lips on my cheek, tickling me. We spent half an hour like that; me, fixing the camera's angle every five minutes and Jinki surprising me with each take.

"Can I try it?" I blinked, confused for a while before figuring out what he was talking about. "Oh! Sure" I handed him the camera. We were on a bench now, taking individual shots. "Be sure to get the right angle ok? The best pictures are the ones where the object is not centered. Oh! And don't make me look hideous" I pouted playfully at the last part, making him laugh.

"Don't worry. I'll make you look cute…but cuter than you already are, I don't think so…" He murmured the last part so softly I didn't catch all of it. Before I could ask him what he had said, flashes started blinding my eyes. I tried to make all kinds of things; blowing him kisses, puffing my cheeks in a cute way, making heart signals with my hand, but I was slowly running out of ideas. "I like your dimples" He said out of nowhere and I stood dumbfounded, biting my lip as my heart raced erratically. These were the times where the control over my feelings wavered, leaving my exposed and vulnerable. "What's wrong?..." He had stopped taking pictures by now, concern reigning in his face as he stepped closer. "N-Nothing! I'm fine" I smiled nervously, rubbing my hands to keep them warm. He looked at me for a minute before grabbing my hand and dragging me out of the park. "Where are we going?" He turned his head a little, his eyes glinting mysteriously. "I'm the older one. If you die of hypothermia it's gonna be my fault and…I guess a guilty conscience is a bitch" I laughed at that, letting myself be dragged out of the park, into the cold streets. 

We walked hand in hand down the lonely streets. I finally took notice of what he was wearing, feeling stupid for not noticing before. I've always seen him with the school's uniform so seeing him with other types of clothes was very…alluring. He was dressed in black skinnies, a short black trench coat and red gloves. It was amazing how a simple outfit like that could look so good on him. He looked so handsome and classy that all I could do was stare at my own outfit in remorse. Wearing a long gray pullover with pink stripes, black skinnies, black scarf and pink gloves wasn't a very good idea. We looked too different. 

"I've never ridden a public bus before…" I said, eyeing the parked bus warily. He chuckled, stepping aside so I could climb first. "Really? In that case I'm glad your first time is with me" He murmured in my ear from behind. I don't know why but I felt he wanted to imply something else. _'This boy is gonna be my downfall…'_ I though sourly as I took a seat. The bus was practically empty, maybe 6 or 7 persons in total. I didn't even notice he took the camera from my bag and before I knew it, he had his head resting on my shoulder, smiling warmly and taking a picture. He nudged my shoulder, drawing my attention from the window. "Hey! I'm the only one doing the poses here! Help me a little" He whined and I just laughed.

"Okay cry baby" He was about to protest but I slid my arms around his waist, placing a soft peck on his cheek. The face on the picture was priceless. Like he was processing the fact I was kissing him while taking the picture; eyes widened and his cheeks even redder. It was a miracle he reacted just in time to take the picture. I chuckled while taking the camera from his hands. "Yo-You should warn me before you do that" He stuttered and I just rolled my eyes. I felt quite pleased that I could make him react like that from a simple kiss. 

I suddenly realized that our little display of affections didn't go unnoticed by the people in the bus. Jinki noticed my sudden discomfort and wrapped his arms around me. "Jinki?" I asked, hesitant about what he was doing. "Don't feel self conscious about the stares. We make such an awesome couple they can't take their eyes off of us" I snickered at his dorkiness, feeling his embrace oddly relaxing. "He's my boyfriend" He said unexpectedly, placing a quick kiss on my cheek. I think I blushed at least 10 different shades of red as the people cooed at the sweet sight. He laughed and I playfully slapped his arm. I scowled as a small part of me hoped that someday Jinki would say the same thing, without joking. We got out at the next stop. There was a little coffee shop two blocks away from the bus stop so we hurriedly made our way down the streets, entering the empty café. I sighed, feeling the warm heat sinking in my skin. "Mmm feels good" Jinki said, closing his eyes and smiling. We took a seat at the last table by the window. The waitress, probably our age or younger, came to take our order. Her eyes widened when she saw us, stumbling a little on the way. "H-Hi, welcome to Kitty Kittens. C-Can I take your o-order?" The poor girl had her face all flushed, trying to hide hide it with the notepad she was holding. "Two hot chocolates please…with marshmallows" Jinki said, smiling brightly at the last part and making the girl gasp. I shook my head in disbelief as she muttered something like 'be right back', half running to the kitchen. That was the power of his smile…lethal. 

My thoughts suddenly drifted to a brown haired boy. I felt bad not telling Taemin I was gonna skip school for the day, but he was in good hands though. I HOPED he was in good hands…but with Jonghyun you never know. For all I knew he could have Taemin kidnapped already, tied down with a bear costume on. I shuddered at the thought. 

"Two hot chocolates. Enjoy!" I gasped a little, glaring the piece of paper the girl slipped smoothly under Jinki's cup. Girls didn't have any shame these days. He was not my boyfriend or anything, but if he was? Would she still hit on someone else's boyfriend?. _'Probably'_ I thought gloomily; sipping the hot chocolate while glaring daggers at the girl. "Are you mad at the girl?" I miraculously contained myself from spitting the hot beverage on his face, swallowing the substance with much effort. "What? No! Why would I be mad at her?" He shrugged, staring absentmindly at the window. "I don't know…it seemed like that" I rolled my eyes, flicking my finger on his forehead. "Don't think too much" He pouted, rubbing his forehead. He got up suddenly, taking his hot chocolate with him and sitting next to me. I arched an eyebrow. "Photo time!" He chirped.

I smiled, taking the camera out. I already lost count of all the times I've taken it out today. He slung an arm on my shoulders, making me rest my head on his chest. "Cheese" He murmured against my hair, kissing it softly. I saw the girl eyeing us; the sound of her heart shattering very audible to my ears.

I bit my lip, feeling bad for the pleasure that soared inside me. _'Could I possibly be…jealous?' _I groaned, pushing my multi-colored bangs out of my eyes. He wasn't even interested in me and I was already eyeing murderously his potential girlfriends. Jinki was about to ask what was wrong, but my cell phone started ringing suddenly. The sound snapped me out of my thoughts as I roamed my bag, searching for the irritating thing. I finally found it and I rolled my eyes when I saw the ID caller. "If a teacher finds out you have your cell phone during school hours you're gonna get detention" Jonghyun must be with Taemin now. How else could he have figured out I was missing?. I could sigh in relief now, since Taemin was not alone at least.

Jinki took his arm off me as he rummaged through my bag, taking the pictures out. While he busied himself with the pictures I tried to not let Jonghyun know who I was with. 

"HEY!! How could you leave our Taeminie alone!!!?? And how come you didn't call me to tell me you were ditching?? Where's the trust Key?? WHERE IS IT!!?" I could hear Taemin's soft chuckle at the other line. "Geez calm down will you? It's not like I freaking left for a month…" Jinki laughed quietly, already acknowledging who was the one calling. "I left Taemin alone because I knew you were gonna take good care of him" I rolled my eyes at that. The heck he was gonna take good care of Taemin…he couldn't even boil water without getting a third degree burn.

"Really?? Well of course why wouldn't you? I'm just awesome like that"

"Pass me Taemin. I wanna talk to him" I heard some shuffling on the other line.

"Kibummie" I smiled at the excited voice, chuckling softly. "I was so worried! When I didn't see you on the bus this morning I thought something bad happened. I'm glad you're okay" He sounded truly concerned and I felt bad for not telling him anything. "I'm sorry Taeminie. I'm ok I just needed to do some stuff with…someone" My eyes fell upon Jinki. He was oblivious to our conversation, staring intently at the pictures. I chewed my lip softly, tearing my eyes from the gorgeous boy and directing my attention to the mug in front of me. "Oh really? I bet is with Jinki cause' I heard you talking to him on Wednesday about-" I groaned as I heard Jjong mumbling a sorry to Taemin, probably yanking the phone of his hands. 

"You're a very VERY naughty boy!! You're on a date???" I shooed him, blushing brightly. "Be quiet!! And get you're mind out of the gutter!! It's strictly business" I assured him. My little outburst had been probably amusing to Jinki as his eyes stared at me curiously. I smiled nervously "Best Friends can be so annoying" I said, placing my palm on the receiver so Jjong couldn't hear. "Hell yeah it's business!! You don't tell me anything anymore!!! How could you not tell me something so important! First times are special Key!! You're gonna be deflowered-" I shrieked, making him stop his explicit explanation. "No one, I repeat NO ONE!! Is deflowering anything!! You big pervert" I yelled at the phone. I couldn't even look at Jinki in the eyes; my cheeks bright red from embarrassment.

"Alright!!! Calm down!! You don't have to tell me anything ok? I'm not gonna be snooping on your business anymore" I sighed, rubbing my temple. The heck is wrong with this kid?. I grabbed the mug with shaky hands, taking small sips to calm me down. A hand fell upon mine suddenly. I wiped my head, staring at Jinki's concerned expression. "Are you okay?" I smiled slightly, appreciating his concern. I nodded, squeezing his hand a little. My gaze turned dark as I heard some cooing on the other line.

"Omg!! Isn't he the cutest thing ever?? He's worrying about you!!" I rolled my eyes, but feeling a little happy at the thought. "I know. Now will you stop pestering me?" I whined and he laughed a little. I knew he was not gonna let go that easily. "Yeah. I have to feed Taemin anyway" I laughed, hearing Taemin's protests over the phone. "Alright. I'll talk to you later" Maybe Jjong had matured after all. I could have sworn he was gonna say some stupid comment or something before hanging up. Maybe I underestimated him too much...or maybe not.

"You better!! Say hi to Jinki for me! And practice safe sex!! Strawberry flavored lube is the best. _Fantastic_ ~ _Elastic_~" He sang the last part before the line went dead.

"Jinki, How much do you think a gangster will charge me for killing someone? $10,000 or $20,000?"...

-------------------Taemin's POV-------------------

I gaped a little as Jonghyun hung up, placing the cell phone back in his pocket. "You're a dead man" I declared. "Yeah, but it was soo worth it" I laughed at his little smirk. It amused me how Jonghyun was still alive after all the teasing he had been doing to Kibum lately. 

Speaking of Kibum…Wow, I sympathize with him even more now. I've never been in love or anything like that before so….these feelings I've been having for Minho lately are a bit overwhelming for me. But of course, if you compare my situation with Kibum's there's a huge difference in between. He had a big chance of having Onew return his feelings, but I didn't. I mean…How can the Dream Team's captain, one of the most popular guys in school, lay eyes on me? A poor, hometown boy that struggles to pay his lunch everyday?. Just the mere thought was ridiculous.

"Come on Minnie, I hate waiting in line" Jonghyun slung his arm over my shoulders, making me walk by his side down the halls. Walking with Jonghyun down the school's hallways was like walking down the runaway…well, it felt that way. He smiled as girls took pictures of him, pulling me closer as they eyed me despicably. "Don't worry. My fans are always like that" I turned to look at him and he winked, making me laugh while girls shrieked and flashed their cameras_. 'They don't let students have cell phones during classes, but they can have cameras…so stupid'_ I pondered as we made our way through the mass of screaming girls.

"Jonghyun!!" 

I wiped my head in the direction of the voice. A girl, probably two years older than me, stood in front of the horde…probably the leader. I flinched as she eyed me up and down with displeasure. I could feel Jonghyun tense up, but he still kept his cool; a forced smile plastered on his face. Her skirt was higher than normal and the high heels made her look…very indecent. On her little vest you could see the little pin with _'A Section'_ labeled on it. Judging by the color she must be a senior. Freshmen's pins were colored green, Junior's pink and Senior's yellow.

"What's up Jessica?" The said girl diverted her eyes from me to Jonghyun, changing her cold stare into a sickly sweet one. "Jonghyun!! How come you haven't introduced us you're little friend?" She was standing in front of us now, with an innocent expression on her face. "Oh you don't know Minnie?" She arched an eyebrow delicately, flashing her fake smile in my direction. "Minnie?" I hunched back into Jonghyun's embrace, feeling intimidated by the older girl suddenly. I wanted to speak, but there was this big lump in my throat restraining me. I flashed my anxious eyes towards Jonghyun. He chuckled when he saw my distress. His eyes sparkled suddenly; an idea quickly processing in his mind. I could even see the light bulb on top of his head.

"Yep, he's my son" I snorted a little, trying to contain my laughter. _'This was the bright idea?_..._clever Jonghyun'_. The girl named Jessica stood dumbfounded as Jonghyun pulled me closer, kissing my head in a sweet brotherly way. "Huh?" Was her smartly reply as girls started screaming at the back. I could tell they liked the sudden skinship. He nodded with a serious expression falling on his face. I stared at the girl in disbelief. _'Did she really buy it?'_

"How…"I gaped at the response. This girl was really dense. Jonghyun shrugged his shoulders. "I was a really…promiscuous child in France. _Je le suis encore_" He winked and girls gasped, screaming for him to wink again. I laughed as the girl blinked profusely; clearly believing the whole son thing. Jonghyun just shook his head. He probably knew about the girl's special condition already. He tugged me suddenly, acknowledging it was time to go. "That girl is…special" We were heading to the cafeteria now; finally freeing ourselves from the aggressive fan girls. "She's a senior and the president of our fan club" I stared at him, processing the information slowly. _'Fan…club?'_

"You have a f-fan club?? Wait…_our_?" He laughed as I choked a little to get the words out. "Yep, ffffffaaaaaaaannnnnn ccccclllllluuuuuub. Key and I, being the most popular juniors at school, can't handle the mob of girls that approach us everyday so we decided it was necessary to make a fan club" I chuckled as he emphasized the word _'fan club'_ in a very deliberately way. Can someone be THAT popular? To even have their own fan club?. Of course, Kibum and Jonghyun can. But I could understand; they were so cool and good looking that stalkers were a must in their lives. With a fan club there was a little bit more security in that aspect. "Stay away from Jessica though. Even as the president, she's crazy." I nodded, agreeing at once. "But how come I've never seen her approach Kibum before?" He snorted at that.

"Key HATES her. He claims the girl is fake and annoying. As you already know, Key is not a very friendly person. He is very cold and stoic when it comes to mingling with other people. Jessica knows that so she stays away from him and comes to me for all the things we need to know about the club" I nodded, understanding Kibum's attitude towards her. She was fake and from what I've experienced back there….annoying too.

We finally arrived at the cafeteria. Luckily there weren't many people in line so we had access to the buffet right away. As I was paying for the food I saw Jonghyun grabbing some napkins and a paper bag. "What are you doing?" He was wrapping my food like a take out. "You're gonna eat once we're on our way" I blinked, not understanding what he meant. Once he was done packing my lunch he dragged me out of the cafeteria into the lonely hallways. We were almost at the school's parking lot when suddenly he halted. I almost bumped into him, deep in thought. "Crap! I forgot something!!" He grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the cafeteria once again. "Are we going somewhere?" I trusted Jonghyun enough to follow him without asking, but I was really curious. He turned his head a little; an evil smirk creeping slowly to his features.

"I just need to pick up something from the cafeteria, but once I'm done….It's spy time!"

* * *

I eyed Jonhyun warily from the back seat. Kibum had warned me severely to never never NEVER enter a car with Jonghyun behind the wheel and not adult on sightum had already? kne his face.t be a . y distressed eyes. adults on sight. Seeing him fumbling with the car keys was really nerve racking. "Okay! Is everyone ready? Taemin fasten your seatbelt please" I hurriedly complied, grasping the protective artifact with my dear life, my lunch bag tightly secured between my legs.

"Mmm…Can someone tell me again why I'm here?" I bit my lip, looking at the parking lot and avoiding the intense stare directed my way. When I saw what Jonghyun had almost _'forgotten'_ at the cafeteria, I wanted to crawl under a rock and rot for eternity. Why did he have to drag Minho out of his lunch table???. I remember staring at him with apologetic eyes as Jonghyun packed his half eaten lunch in a paper bag, dragging him out of the cafeteria despite his protests. "We're n daten lunch in a plastic bag, spying on your best friend's date" I gasped when he revealed his plan at last. "Jonghyun…We're sooo dead if Kibum finds out" I chewed my lip nervously. He finally started the car, the engine coming to life. If I was gonna die today, at least I was happy it was gonna be in a _McLarren F1_.

"I know. That's the other reason I brought Minho along. If Key wants to scorch us alive, at least we can use Minho's Flaming Charisma to protect us". From what I've heard, Minho was known as _Flaming Charisma _because of his good looks and killer body…and I totally agreed with that. I turned my eyes to him, mouthing a sorry in his way in Jonghyun's behalf. He smiled, clutching the lunch bag with his life as Jonghyun screeched the tires, zooming through the streets.

And just like that, we were on our way to hell….willingly.

---------------

"I really really really don't think this is a good idea"

We were at some park's parking lot. I wasn't even hungry anymore, watching nervously as Jonghyun dialed some unknown phone number. I jumped when a pair of hands took the lunch bag from my lap, opening it and taking the food out. My eyes widened as Minho took his time, blowing the hot steam coming out of the food. "You have to eat. You need to have some sugar in your body in order to survive the terrible fate that awaits us" I laughed at that, taking the bag out of his hands. "Try this. It's really good" We shared the food, eyeing Jonghyun from the back.

"Hyuna!! I need a favor. Can you tell me Key's GPS coordinates? I forgot them" I choked. Minho patted my back as I coughed slightly. _'Kibum has a GPS???_...._I think I've overestimated how rich he actually is'_.I grabbed the bottle of water Minho passed me, mumbling a thanks in response. "Oh right!! I remember know!! Thank youuu! What? Ohh….I can't tell you right now…all I can say is our little Key is a BIG boy now" I think he was talking with Kibum's mom. He hung up and proceeded to type the given coordinates in the car's GPS track system. Suddenly a location popped up. _'The mall?'_

"The mall?? Aww those two are too cute! Seriously" He cooed, turning the engine once again and speeding to the nearest mall, _Hamilton Palms Plaza_.

------------------

GPS is really accurate. In the mall's main plaza, a dancing contest was being held. The entertainers were inviting people from the crowd to accept the challenge of dancing a random song. The plaza was so full; it was the perfect setting for our little mission. We were hiding in a small coffee shop, staring at the couple sitting in a bench through the coffee's window. I sipped my vanilla shake while Minho shook his head at Jonghyun's fussing. 

"The heck is Key doing!!?? He's wasting valuable time!! Rape the guy already!!" He hissed under his breath. I don't know how Jonghyun had managed to go to the department store across the plaza, buy a pair of binoculars and black shades and come back…without being noticed. Kibum and Jinki were just talking on a bench, oblivious to the crowd. They truly looked like a couple; smiling at each other and laughing once in a while. I sighed nonchalantly; someday, when I find my special someone, I want to be like that. Happy and Carefree. I blushed, looking at Minho from the corner of my eye. Too bad I already found the one that I want, but can't have. I pouted suddenly, feeling romantically hopeless. A thin material fell upon my shoulders, startling me. I eyed the sweater, recognizing right away who the owner was. "T-Thanks. Aren't you cold?" Minho smiled, shaking his head and arranging the sweater so it could cover me completely. "You needed it more than I do. Your cheeks are really rosy…and you're shivering" I was really shivering. The weather had been very cold because of the snow. The warmth was slowly sinking in my clothes, making me sigh. I smiled a little, hugging the sweater closer. I was definitely falling in love. 

"The dance contest looks very interesting" Minho mused suddenly, eyeing the stage. The contest did look interesting. A lot of people were participating; winning t-shirts, caps, backpacks, etc. The entertainers were sponsoring aomeking dance contest like thisefect for our little mission. new radio so they needed the audience to get involve, making dance contests like this.

"OMG!! I have an idea!!" I squeaked, clinging to the tall boy sitting next to me. I was so scared by Jonghyun's sudden outburst that I didn't realize I was sprawled on Minho's lap. I didn't notice the set of arms that automatically draped around my waist either. Jonghyun stood quiet for a while; crooking his head while looking at us. Suddenly a creepy smile formed on his lips as he wiggled his finger in a _'no'_ way. "Not in front of me Minho. You can have Taemin all for yourself when you two are alone, but I won't allow you to corrupt Taemin's innocence in public…or in my presence" I didn't understand what he was talking about. I suddenly realized I was almost straddling Minho's lap with my tiny hands grasping his black vest tightly. He had his arms around my waist, preventing my fall. I blushed so hard I thought my cheeks were gonna burst. I mumbled a quick apology, climbing out of his lap. He had a weird expression on his face and before I could decipher what it was, both of us were being dragged out of the coffee shop by an overly excited Jonghyun.

"Stay here!" Minho rolled his eyes at the command and I played nervously with the hem of the sweater, still feeling embarrassed. Jonghyun took off, heading to the backstage and talking to one of the coordinators of the event. The entertainer suddenly blinked, confused by whatever Jonghyun was telling him, but nodding soon after as he scribbled something down on a piece of paper. He came back later with a huge grin on his face. "Please tell me you didn't do what I think you did" I stared at Minho, not understanding what he meant. "What did he do?" He looked at me, placing a hand on my shoulder softly. "I think he's gonna get us killed" I stared wide eyed as the men Jonghyun had talked to a few minutes ago, walked to the stage with the little piece of paper between his fingers.

"You don't want to miss this for the world!" Jonghyun chirped, taking his camera out.

"A special request was delivered to me a few minutes ago. We have a really good dancer in the crowd!! Let's give a warm welcome for Key!!" A roar of applause and cheers filled the plaza as curious eyes searched for the said person. I could see Kibum's face turned pale as Jinki nudged him to go to the stage. I clutched Minho's arm unconsciously, seeing my death very near. Kibum reluctantly stood up, taking awkward steps towards the illuminated stage. This time whistles, from men and women, could be heard as he climbed the stage. "Are you Key?" The entertainer asked, making Kibum nod warily. "Yeah…How…Who did the request?" I could see a spark in Kibum's eyes, already having a slight idea of who was the responsible. "All requests are anonymous, but he specially asked for you" The audience whistled when he mentioned the requester was a _he_ and I watched in horror as Kibum's eyes turned into slits. I heard Jonghyun's audible gulp as his hands started shacking, making the camera wobble a little.

"Minho…please tell me that fucking flaming charisma of yours is working right now" He whispered, shuddering as an evil smirk formed on Kibum's lips.

"Can I participate too?" Everyone's head, even ours, whipped in the direction of the voice. A thin, small boy with a knitted sweater, black skinnies and a beanie with a smiley face stood in the middle of the crowd; a big smile playing on his lips. "Sure, if the contestant agrees" Kibum laughed, nodding and extending his hand to help the boy climb up the stage. "What's your name?" The boy enveloped Kibum in a warm hug before facing the crowd. "Jokwon. I'm a friend of Key" I've never seen the boy before, but by the way he was holding Kibum's hand, he must be a very good friend. I noticed the cold expression on Onew's face. I think he didn't like the idea of a couple dance very much.

"You know the rules. You have 3 minutes to dance to the song. If the audience cheers for you, you win". The two boys positioned themselves at the center. Soon Beyonce's _Sweet Dreams_ came blasting through the speakers. Kibum started swaying his hips, hitting his hipbone with every beat. The plaza turned insanely loud; men and women were mesmerized by Kibum's alluring dance. Soon Jokwon joined him, swaying his hips at the tempo. My eyes bulged when Kibum slipped his leg between Jokwon's, grinning into him in a very slow deliberately way. My eyes drifted to Jinki. I couldn't help but pity the fuming Senior. He had his face as red as a tomato, gripping the border of the bench with so much strength his knuckles were turning white. We were standing fairly close to the audience so I could hear how people were appraising the dance, thinking Jokwoon and Kibum were actually a couple. Onew gasped suddenly when Kibum wiggled his finger at Jokwon playfully, winking and doing his hip sway again. Onew was hopeless at the moment. It was so obvious he liked Kibum. Of course, this little display of jealousy went unnoticed by the two dancers on stage.

"Hahaha I know Onew is dying to go on stage and punch Jokwon in the face!! God this is so much better than the soap opera at channel 8!!" We stared at Jonghyun as he laughed nervously, noticing his mistake. "O-Of course I don't watch soap operas. That's lame! I heard it's interesting, that's all…" He mumbled and of course we didn't believe him. "I've never seen Jinki like this…" Minho murmured, his eyes never leaving Onew's quivering body. "Really?" It was weird…he had never had a boyfriend before? Jealousy is a common thing in relationships. "Yeah…He'd never liked anyone before so I never knew he was the jealous type until now. When he mentioned me he liked Key…I never thoughtwknew he was the jelous type so i ionnki' " channel 8!rom Jokwon" coupletage. dle of the crowd; a big smile playing on his he liked him THAT much" My eyes widened at the sudden information. '_Wait…Onew likes Kib-_'

I was pulled out of my thought by the claps and cheers from the audience. The 3 minutes had ended and the entertainer announced Kibum and Jokwon as the winners. They hugged each other, laughing and parting in different directions. Kibum climbed down the stage, making his way back to Jinki. Minho suddenly grabbed my hand, tugging me behind a pillar. "How could you do something so stupid!!!! You know how perceptive Key is!!" Minho hissed under his breath, hiding me with his body as Jonghyun took quick glances everywhere; searching for the missing couple. Our hideout was the worst one ever. "I'm sorry ok!!?? It was a mistake…but man!! Did you see Onew's face!!?? Rudolph my ass!! He was literally glowing! I could totally picture him kicking Jokwon's butt!!!" I smacked his arm from under Minho's shelter, shutting him up at once. We stood like that for a while; hiding and waiting for Kibum to jump out of nowhere with a knife. "Maybe they left…" We relaxed a little.

I sank to the floor, quickly followed by Mihno. I rubbed my temple; a headache was slowly forming. "Why were you two so worried?? We got to see Key's X rated dance, Onew almost making a Jokwon voodoo doll AND we didn't get caught!! How awesome is that?!" He laughed, clearly thinking he had won. Boy was Jonghyun wrong…

"We didn't get caught?" Jonghyun shivered, slowly turning around and coming face to face with Kibum's dark aura. Jinki sat on the floor next to us, giving us a quick smile as a greeting; all traces of jealousy gone. We were too absorbed in the fight in front of us to even notice the crowd we were attracting.

"H-Hey K-Key!! Wow what a coincidence don't you think? I was buying Nana some underwear and I invited Minho and Taemin to tag along!! I never NEVER expected to see you here!!" When Jonghyun mentioned his grandmother's underwear I knew we were surely dead.

"Nana doesn't even let you use knives while eating meat!! How the hell do you think I'm gonna believe she asked you to buy her underwear!!!??" Jonghyun backed up with each step Kibum took; his back finally hitting the pillar's surface. "Key is scary when he's mad" Minho noted, receiving a nod from Jinki and I.

I shook my head in disbelief at what Jonghyun screamed before Kibum pounced forward, beating him to a bloody pulp.

"FLAMING CHARISMA UNLEASH~"

_Good thing Jonghyun is rich enough to pay for a good facial surgeon. _


	5. Love is not proud

_All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating, and mediocrity is easy. Stay away from easy._

Scott Alexander

The heat was becoming too unbearable, but there was nothing I could do about it now. I had already taken off my scarf, my sweater and my vest…all I was left with was the uniform's shirt and pants. I didn't have the guts to take THOSE off. At least not here in the dark… and in the company of a certain senior.

"Are you hot Taemin?" A voice loomed from the dark. I sighed, wiping the droplets of sweat sliding down my forehead with the back of my hand. "Yeah…I didn't know the janitor's closet could be so hot…" I heard some rustling from across the room.

"Minho…?" He didn't answer. _'Did he hit something?'_. I was about to get up and search for him blindly when suddenly a soft material made contact with my head. I grabbed the cloth, feeling a waistband. _'sweatpants?' _

"You can put that on. That's what I was gonna wear after my soccer practice, so it's clean." I gulped, sweating more than necessary.

He gave me a pair of sweatpants….but no t-shirt. "I was gonna wear the uniform's t-shirt…that's why I didn't bring an extra shirt." I wanted to whine, feeling totally hopeless. _'I have to be bare-chested?'_ I groaned silently, standing up and quickly glancing anxiously for any sign of the senior. "Don't worry…I won't look" He said mockingly. Of course he wouldn't pry…I couldn't even see my own hand. While I loosened my tie, discarding it on the floor and proceeding to unbutton my shirt, I couldn't help but think of the sudden situation we were stuck in. I thought this was gonna be a normal, happy Wednesday…I was still waiting for the _happy _part… 

-3 hours ago- 

"OMG! Taemin! Your roses look soo beautiful!" I smiled, noticing the little crowd gathering around my slot. I love flowers. Their pureness and dependence had a soothing effect on my system. People may think I'm lame and things like that, but I don't care.

I stared apprehensively at the mass of boys cooing at my flowers. The minute I stepped a foot inside the school's greenhouse for my first Gardening class, I knew what Kibum had meant about me and _'not the type to be in gardening class'_. For starters, all the students in the class were boys…and very _special_ boys. All of them wore pink scarves that matched their pink backpacks, a glossy lip balm adorned their lips and their fingernails, perfectly manicured and nail polished, shone brightly in the sun. I had been really uncomfortable at first, feeling like I was an outcast, but all of them took me in warmly. They were truly amazing classmates and I couldn't feel more at home…surrounded by flowers and friends. Which ones were the flowers and which ones were the friends…let's leave it to the imagination.

"Aww I wish my flowers could be as pretty as yours" Bryan, a section C senior, pouted as he hooked his arm in mine. All the other boys pouted too, fussing over how my flowers looked so healthy and well taken care off.

"Alright, class is over. Taemin today is your turn to take all the gloves, hand cultivators, trowels, pruning saws…mm I'm missing something…oh yeah! Shears! Yep, all of those to the Janitor's closet ok? You know where it is" Our gardening teacher, Mr. Palmer, ordered and I gulped, waving as all the students exited the green house. I sighed as I eyed all the tools sprawled all over the dirty floor.

It took me about an hour to clean the whole mess. _'Mom it's gonna kill me'_ I thought as I eyed the dirty gray vest and the soiled spots on the gray sweater. I rolled my sleeves up, groaning as I tried to cradle all the gardening utensils at once. I stumbled awkwardly towards the doors, puffing my cheeks as the weight resting in my arms forced them down. I pushed my forehead forward, opening the door with much strength. Whining softly at the pulsing pain in my temple, I stepped out, breathing the fresh cold air in one take.

The school grounds were already empty by now, only the soccer fields were crowded. Dream Team practices always took place on the soccer fields, from 4 to 5, every day. _'Come on Taemin, keep going'_ I forced myself to move, lowering my head and counting the steps mentally. As I passed by the fields, I cursed as my footsteps slowed gradually. Soon I was rooted to the ground, my eyes fixated on a certain captain.

"Come on! Push yourselves!" Minho's voice boomed through the field as he stood in the middle of the game, eyeing his team members with a humorless expression. He looked so different right now; his furrowed eyebrows giving him a scary, monotonous vibe. He crossed his arms suddenly, stepping out of the game while he arched his delicate eyebrow to one trembling junior. "If you're too scare of getting hurt, you better step out." His words weren't harsh, but I still found myself pitying the scared boy.

The poor red haired boy nodded slightly, dragging his feet out of the field and taking a seat on the bench. I sighed, staring at this other side of Minho. Now I understand all the comments I've heard about him. How he never talked to anyone and how he pushed everyone away with the strong intimidating atmosphere he transpired with every move. And the way he hypnotized you with his eyes, those deep brown eyes that pierced through your brain every time you were caught staring, were enough to make you melt right then and there…from shock and fear. My thoughts took a dangerous detour and suddenly I found myself gaping at the attractiveness that was exuding from the senior. I could clearly see his lean muscled tights in those shorts that rode low on his hips. His t-shirt sleeves were far up his shoulders, leaving his well defined biceps exposed; a bump slightly visible from afar. I gulped, my eyes traveling unconsciously to his face. _'How can someone with such a bored expression on his face look, so freaking handsome?'_. With his hair pushed back in a ponytail and a sweatband adorning his forehead, he could clearly pass out as a sports model.

"Faster! You're slacking off!" I jumped, his shouting pulling my out of my thoughts. A few shears dropped from the sudden movement and I huffed as I bent awkwardly to cradle them in my arms once again. I straightened myself and squeaked as a pair of brown eyes stared at me from across the field.

Minho had an unreadable expression on his face and I just bit my lip, feeling scared all of a sudden. Maybe he didn't want me to be staring at their private practice. My sudden distress disappeared as a faint smile touched his lips. He lifted his arm a little, waiving and making the people on the field pause on their tasks. Everyone stared wide eyed at me as I awkwardly waved back, blushing as I noticed the smirk plastered on Onew's lips. It was a knowing smirk….not sure of what he knew though.

Minho diverted his eyes from me, eyeing darkly at the now drooling team members; I swear I heard a growl coming from him. "The hell are you staring at? Run 5 laps! NOW!" I pitied the boys as they started running around the field, forcing their already tired limbs forward.

"I better get going" I whispered to myself, blushing as a group of boys passed by, whistling and winking at me on the way. I saw their sweaty figures moving further away, and I gulped at the murderous expression Minho flashed their way. I started to push myself forward, away from the sweaty bodies hovering on the grass field. Finally I saw the maintenance building coming to view so I pushed my heels faster. The sky was slowly loosing its shine, with the sun hiding on the horizon. It was 5 o' clock already; the school bus was long gone. My mom was visiting my aunt in Missouri for the week so I was left alone to take care of myself. _"Take care Min! And be home early okay? You know how dangerous this neighborhood gets at night…God I'm gonna miss you!"_ I remembered her saying, smothering me with kisses; the taxi's honks on the sidewalk ruining the moment.

I groaned, climbing up the stairs as my arms ached from the pressure. On the second floor, I turned right, already knowing the path. I looked down on my arms, sighing at the red marks forming on the creamy surface. _'Bruise for sure…'_ I bet, walking slowly towards the big automatic door on the left. Of course, it was obvious that a school like this would have an automatic locking system. All doors were programmed to close at 6 pm sharp, even if they were already locked. Classrooms, studios, library, lockers room, everything closed at 6 o' clock and the only way to open them again was from the director's office…manually. I heard the elevator's door open and I eyed the old janitor walking out of it. I smiled, waving as a few trowels managed to escape from my grasp.

"Hey kid, be careful! Don't stay too long since it's almost 6 pm" I smiled at the elder's warning, bowing as he walked further down the hall, turning right and disappearing out of my sight. Puffing my cheeks, I prepared myself to bruise my forehead once again. I tried not to think of the thick, metal surface of the black door. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I pushed my head forward, cringing as my skin made contact with something strange. Still squeezing my eyes shut, I leaned towards the unusually soft foil_. 'Isn't metal supposed to be hard and cold?'_ I mused, feeling the warmth emanating from the….hand?. I stared dumfounded at the foreign hand, my eyes trailing to the arm, than up to the bicep and finally to the perfectly sculpted face.

"Hongki?"

The said boy chuckled, retrieving his hand finally as he leaned on the door frame. "What's up Taemin?" I smiled, shifting my weight from one foot to another. "Wow, I haven't seen you since…last week?" He laughed heartedly as he eyed me up and down. "Yeah, you look good by the way…happy." I bit lip, suppressing the goofy smile on my face.

Lee Hongki was a really nice senior. After he helped me on the first day of school, we became good friends. Actually, he was the second friend I made after Kibum, and I couldn't help but have a deep profound respect towards the older boy. My eyes softened as I gazed the leaning body on the wall. Soft brown hair, carefree smile and unbuttoned vest with sleeves rolled up…he had written _badass _all over him, but of course it was only an image. Honki was really sweet and caring. My type of guy. _'Woah! Did I just thought that?...'_

I blushed, shaking the weird thoughts aside. I jumped as I felt something caressing my bangs. I stared wide eyed as Hongki just chuckled, running his delicate fingers through my hair. "I glad you're doing okay. This school can be hell sometimes." I smiled warmly, accepting the sudden display of affection. His hand suddenly trailed from hair to my face, and I cursed mentally as a soft hue of pink tinted my puffy cheeks. I could only watch in amusement as his thumb massaged the blushed skin tenderly.

"I'm always here for you Tae…For _anything_ you want."

His head started leaning and I parted my lips, preparing my voice to stop the predictable kiss from happening. I screamed mentally when my vocal chords refused to cooperate, his cool breath just inches away. I gulped, coaxing my throat to utter a sound as my eyes were fixated on the upcoming lips.

"Hong-"

The weight from my arms was suddenly lifted, and I sighed contently only to choke back a shriek as I eyed the tall boy standing beside me. I don't know how long Minho had been standing there, but I couldn't be gladder for the intrusion. I truly cared about Hongki, but only as a friend. My heart was leaning towards another senior, and I didn't want to give Hongki false hopes. "Thank you" I breathed, my eyes falling worried as I saw the intense glare Minho was throwing in Hongki's direction. "Come on Taemin, The gates are gonna close soon" And without saying anything else, he opened the door, stepping inside and leaving me speechless. _'Did he look…mad?_' I chewed my lip, my anxious eyes staring at the door.

"First Key, the most popular junior…and now Dream Team's captain?..." Hongki's voice pulled me back and I just threw a shaky breath, avoiding his prying eyes. "We're just friends…" I murmured, a sickening feeling luring in my stomach. A chuckled disturbed me and my eyes fell on Hongki. To my utter surprise he was laughing, holding his stomach as a few tears escaped his eyes.

"God! This is soo crazy! Taemin, why do you have to be so alluring! You sure are gonna give me some work"

I crooked my head, not understanding what he meant. _'Alluring? Work?'._ He shook his head and I cringed as he leaned forward once again. I gasped as a gush of hot air tickled my ear. "But it's ok. I take the _Dream _challenge….My bow is set and ready, just waiting for the right opportunity to shot...Don't forget that" He whispered softly in my ear, kissing my cheek and pulling away.

I just blinked, not understanding the meaning behind those words. He headed towards the elevator, winking at my way before stepping in. Okay…so I was positively sure that Hongki officially had gone insane. I stood confused as my heart hammered in my chest. Yes, I was 100% sure that I liked Hongki just as a friend, but…the way my breathing accelerates as I remember his hot breath against ear was quite confusing. God, such an unneeded dilemma. I reluctantly made my way into the closet, stopping dead in my tracks as I came face to face with Minho's frown.

"Is he a friend of yours?" I nodded, rounding the senior and making my way towards the gardening supply shelves. "Yeah, I met him last Monday when I got lost in second period" I busied myself with the shears in my arms, placing them neatly in the corresponding boxes. "Oh…Has he tried something…weird on you these past few days?" I spun around, my confused expression startling him a little. "What? Why are you asking?" He avoided my eyes, staring at the dusty boxes crowded in the corner.

"Just making conversation" He mumbled and I sighed, concentrating on finishing the task as soon as possible. "…Has he?" I smiled at his curiosity, shaking my head as I turned it sideways. "No, and I hope he doesn't" I liked when Minho smiled. Every time the corner of his lips tugged upwards, it made me feel special. Like I was the only one who could do that.

"Good then. I want to win fair and square" I groaned. Why was everyone speaking so cryptically all of a sudden?. "What's wrong?" I huffed, turning around once I was finished with the tedious task. "I'm just tired of people speaking words with hidden meanings! It's confusing" I pouted, making the senior laugh. "I'm sorry. I'll tell you soon though." I pouted even more since I hated to wait for surprises. A sound I heard a couple of minutes ago started to disturb me.

"umm…Minho?" He hummed in response, catching my eyes in an intense state.

"I think the door is locked."… 

-Present- 

I could only hit myself as I recalled the memory, cursing over and over again at my own stupidity. How can a door's click be confused with a bird…There are no freaking birds in a closet!. Of course it was too late when I reasoned with my stupidity and before we knew it, we were trapped in the janitor's closet, situated far away in the maintenance building. I felt bad for putting Minho in this kind of situation. He had been so kind, taking some of his time to help me out and he just got himself into trouble. I hissed, sliding down to the floor and tossing the discarded uniform aside. My exposed chest met the hot air; slick droplets of sweat sliding down the thin torso. I adjusted the strap tightly, narrowing the waistband. Minho was too tall for his sweatpants to fit my scrawny body.

"Are you comfortable now?" Was it so wrong of me to smile over his lovely concern?.

"Yeah…your sweatpants are comfy." I replied, blushing as Minho chuckled at my bluntness.

"Cool" A heavy silence fell in the room, and I took the opportunity to gaze at my surroundings. Everything was a mass of black, some spots darker than others. I've never been very fond of the dark. When I was little I used to cuddle up under my blanket, trembling as I watched the strange shadows that seemed to mock me from the corners. The fear faded away as I grew older, but there were still some uncomfortable reminiscences. I hugged my legs to my chest, resting my chin between the valley of my knees as I embraced myself closer.

"Minho…Are you afraid of the dark?" I mumbled, not caring of embarrassing myself. I could hear him breathing across the crowded room, filling his lungs with the poor oxygenated air. The carbon dioxide that lingered in the air gave it a heavy contexture, making it hard to breathe, but still good enough to stay conscious. "No, but I'm not in love with it either" I sighed, puffing some air in my cheeks as I caressed my ankle absentmindedly. I was the only one that was still childish enough to be afraid of it then.

"…are YOU afraid of the dark?"

My breath hitched in my throat from the sudden question, but hummed in agreement nonetheless, not wanting to elaborate any words. Closing my eyes, I pouted, feeling like a baby. Of course Minho would ask that. He must think of me a scared pubescent boy. "Do you want to play a game? It can help your nerves" I could only smile. Minho had a strange way of comforting me with the smallest of things. "Sure, what do you have in mind?" I heard some rustling and awkward noises coming from the senior's lips. He cursed as he tried to move forward, testing the floor with his sneakers for any danger waiting to make him trip. "Well, I played this game when I was a kid…it's pretty lame actually, but fun enough to entertain. _Never have I ever…_" I giggled, remembering the old game at once.

"Isn't it supposed to be a drinking game?" I wanted desperately to see were he was, but the stupid darkness cut my vision short. I imagined him standing in the middle of the room, with a lovely blush adorning his cheekbones. "Yeah, but it can be played sober" I stifled a chuckle, but all of a sudden a hand made contact with my shoulder, jerking me up in fear.

"Give me your hand"

His voice had a husky tone on it, a tone I couldn't say no to. I slipped my hand in his, a strong force pulling me up. I stood awkwardly as the warmth in my hand disappeared, leaving the sensation of ghostly fingers slipping away. "Okay, now stay here and I'm gonna be across the room. You can walk around if you want." I heard his soft footsteps walking away, stopping a few meters up front. "You already know the drill right? You have to hold your fingers up, palms facing forward and each time I say something I've never done you have to pull one finger down if you have done it.". I held my fingers up, feeling kind of stupid with the strange position. Palms facing forward into the dark, I parted my lips, taking a deep breath.

"I'll start. Never have I ever…"

* * *

"Ouch"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just hit my knee with something"

"Be careful" I could hear Minho's voice close, and somehow that made my hands tremble. I already had seven fingers down, and from what Minho said earlier, he had six down.

"Alright, next question. Never have I ever…had milk shoot out of my nose." Even I laughed at the stupid question. Minho groaned suddenly, and that spiked my curiosity. "You have?" I was met with silence, and of course that was the only confirmation I needed. I laughed hard, holding my pained stomach, and I could feel the muscles contracting and flexing at the same time. "Hey! It was a long time ago! And Jinki was being funny on purpose!" I rolled my eyes, chuckling at his lame excuse. Who would've thought that Choi Minho, captain of the world's renowned school team, _Dream Team_, had milk shooting out of his nose?

"Enough with the laughing mister. It's my turn" There was something mischievous in the tone of his voice, like he was hiding something evil under his sleeve. "Never have I ever…liked a senior" I stopped breathing for a second, afraid that a little gasp would rat me off. I slowly lowered my middle finger down, listening intently for any sound coming from the older boy. I started walking again, stumbling awkwardly with a couple of boxes that were lying on the ground. "Taemin? You have liked a senior?" I shook my head furiously, but hit my forehead afterwards since Minho couldn't see me in the dark.

"N-No. Never before" I kept my answer short, not waiting to give more details about my current crush. How embarrassing would it be if he found out I was crushing on a senior? And him nonetheless? Nope, my body can't handle that amount of embarrassment.

"Oh! You've never liked a senior before?…Perhaps you like a senior…now?" This time I did gasp, clasping my mouth shut as a roar of laughter emitted from the cruel senior. He was obviously enjoying this sweet torture, and I was starting to believe he had planned this whole thing all along. I decided it was better to lie in this kind of circumstances, keeping the lowered finger a secret. "O-Of course not! I didn't even lower my finger" He snorted, and I could've sworn he muttered _'liar'_ too, but it was too soft. I sighed in relief, barely escaping the compromising situation.

"So, you still have three fingers up?"

"Yep, it's my turn right?" I could feel the dark smile creeping in my face. I had to take revenge, for my honor at least.

"Let's see…Never have I ever…liked a boy before" I know it was mean of me to do it, but I just couldn't help myself. I rejoiced sweetly over the silence that followed my simple question. Of course, I still had a final blow to give so I parted my lips and took a deep breath.

"You didn't lower your finger right?"

"Nope"

"So you've never liked a boy before"

"Nope"

"Do you like a boy now?"

I pressed my lips together, enjoying evilly the little groans coming from Minho. I could so picture him sweating profusely, racking his brain for ways to avoid the offending question. That was the idea all along: to embarrass him, whether it was true or not. Suddenly his groans stopped, and I crooked my head, trying to hear what he was doing so quietly. I could only heard soft messy thuds on the floor and the deafening sound of silence.

"What do you think?" That hushed voice whispering in my ear was enough to raise the little hairs on the back of my neck. I shrieked and before I could comprehend what was happening, I was pressed against bare flesh. I blushed, realizing he was bare-chested, like me. "W-When did you take your shirt off?" The arms circling my waist released me, and I pulled away slightly, afraid of how fast his touch had burnt me. "You didn't answer my question" He was so close I could even make out his face in the dark. I just stood there; marveling over how brightly his eyes glimmered in the lack of light. I realized he was waiting for an answer so I just shrugged, playing innocent. "I don't know…you're too mysterious for me to tell" I could see his smile; those pearly white teeth glistening outstandingly.

"Well, just as a fact, I DO like a boy right now. First time I've ever felt this way actually"

A sudden sinking sensation fell in my heart. I had said to myself over and over again that it was impossible thator again that it was impossible for someone like Minho to like me. k. me time. someone like Minho could like someone as ugly and unappealing as me. I was aware of that, but realizing he, in fact, liked someone else made my heart break unnecessarily. Of course Minho would like a gorgeous, rich boy; in this kind of school there were so many options to choose from that it was insane. I let the tears slip soundlessly down my face, feeling ridiculous and immature. I turned around, wiping the tears hastily as I tried to hide my pained expression.

"Come here"

In cue, a strong pair of hands gripped my hips, turning me around. "Let me see how many fingers you have down" the question startled me a little, but I just sighed, complying his wishes. I raised my hands, eight fingers down, only my pinky and my ring finger remaining. His hand grabbed my left one suddenly, and I swallowed a gasp as his long fingers traced my lowered middle finger. I realized immediately my mistake, and I just bit my lip, hoping in vain that he hadn't notice it.

"You lied." Crap.

"…I don't want to play anymore"

"Of course, that's what sore losers say"

I knew he said it in a playful manner, but something clicked inside me when I heard him say that, making my blood boil with anger. I slapped his hands away, walking to the opposite wall and sitting down. I folded my legs and crossed my arms, an annoyed expression plastered on my face. I felt a presence standing in front of me, and it was no surprise to see Minho kneeling down. "Are you mad?" The anxiety tainting his voice made me groan with regret. I wasn't mad at him, I was mad at myself. I was mad at myself for being so stupid, letting my heart rule over instead of my brain. It was illogical…this feeling. I was a math wheeze so I knew that the formula _Choi Minho + Lee Taemin_ was practically unstable, with the tendency to disintegrate at any moment. I cursed as the tears started falling again, but this time I didn't wipe them away.

"I hate the fact that you're so nice to me." My heart was starting to regret ever laying its eyes on Minho. _'Are tears visible in the dark?'_ I hoped not.

"Let's play" I snapped my head in his way, staring incredulously at the eager senior. "You're kidding right?" But he wasn't, so I groaned as I was pulled up by his strong arms. I sighed, placing my palms up and lowering eight fingers once again. I lifted an eyebrow as I felt warm soft hands pressed against mine, six fingers lowered and four still remaining. I kept quiet, just waiting for the torture to be over and not caring about the game anymore.

"Never have I ever…wanted to kiss a boy so bad like I want to right now" I slowly lowered the trembling finger, looking confusedly as I felt his finger sliding down as well. "You're evil" I whispered, softening the insult. My head was spinning; millions of thoughts rushing through my head at once. He liked someone else, but he wanted to kiss me? Was I that easy to him?

"Am I?" I could feel him leaning forward, but this time I didn't part my lips to stop anything. My heart thumped unsteadily as my cheeks burned furiously. It was crazy, but I wanted to believe for a second that he liked me; a little break for my heart. "Yes…if the boy you like finds out about this, he might get mad" I could feel his breath tickling my lips, but my eyes were fixated in those shinny black orbs, refusing to look elsewhere.

"I think he wants this as much as I do" I didn't think much of his answer, too busy concentrating on the soft lips that pressed mine open. Minho's hands, that were still pressed up against mine, suddenly entwined the mess of fingers together. I gripped my fingers tighter, loving they way our hands entwined in perfect harmony; a flawless mold. I stumbled backwards, shuddering as my bare back made contact with the cold black wall. With my eyes shut, I had to tip toe in order to reach his awaiting mouth. I think he realized the little inconvenient as his hands left mine, and seconds they were circling my waist, pulling up. As he carried both of our weights at once, I wrapped my now free hands around his neck.

The kiss was clumsy, rushed and inexperienced; the perfect first kiss. Between our rapid intakes of breath, I couldn't help but wonder if this was his first kiss as well, but out of nowhere he started dominating the awkward situation, taking control over the sloppy kiss. For a moment in Taemin's world, it didn't matter if he liked someone else, if he was rich and I was poor, or the fact that he was a boy. The only thing that mattered in my world was that I was just normal high schooler getting his first kiss…from his first crush.

"This is it. They must be in here."

We quickly scurried off of each other, wiping our mouths with the back of our hands. Somebody knew we were trapped in here, and what was more amusing was the fact that it was no other than Onew. I stared intently at the metal door, my eyes refusing to look at the tall senior standing beside me. I just made out with one of the two most popular seniors in school. It was perfectly acceptable that my heart was pounding all the way to my ears. The door made a screeching sound, and I had to shield my eyes from the sudden light entering from the room. Once my pupils adjusted to the offending flashlights I could clearly see the two guards standing at each side of the senior.

Onew had one eyebrow raised, and an amused expression crossing his features. He was wearing a white hooded pullover that accentuated his toned body, and pair of gray harem sweatpants adorned his legs. I started feeling more uncomfortable as his expression grew more and more amused. "Mmm…I would love to know why you two are all sweaty and bare-chested but it's late, so we better get going" I blushed, my arms automatically covering my exposed torso. I hurriedly grabbed my discarded uniform, slipping the black shirt on. From the corner of my eyes I saw Minho putting his shirt on too.

"How did you find out we were…" We stepped out of the hot closet, sighing as the cool air refreshed our flushed bodies. "Minho has a GPS. I saw him jogging to the maintenance building once our practice was over, and I started to get worried when it was 7 o' clock and he wasn't home, since he's staying with me for awhile."

"Took you long enough to track me down though" Minho huffed, punching Onew's shoulder on the way. "Don't worry Taemin. I called Kibum when I was on my way here" I smiled brightly, feeling secure with the idea of Kibum picking me up. I followed the silent seniors down the stairs, shivering as we exited the building at last. By the way the moon was shinning brightly in the middle of the dark sky you could tell it was probably 10 or 11 o' clock. A content sigh escaped my lips as a jogging figure could be seen in from afar. Kibum came into view a couple of minutes later, tugging a sleeping Jonghyun by the hand.

I felt bad as I took notice of their appearance; I had clearly woken them up. Kibum was wearing a pair of pink cropped sweatpants...That looked more like a pair of shorts actually, stopping exactly half way up his thighs. The large black long-sleeved top made him look young and innocent, and I tried not to laugh at the sight of those pink bunny slippers that squeaked with every step he took. His face was all flushed, and I wondered if it was from all the jogging he had to do from the parking lot up to here or the fact that Onew was eyeing him up and down, smiling finally at the sight of the pink headband that pushed his multicolored fringe away from his eyes.

"Taeminie! I've been so freaking worried! I've been calling you like crazy!" He finally arrived to where we were standing, and he let go of the Jonghyun, enveloping me in a tight warm hug. I hugged him back, feeling loved, and I laughed as my eyes fell on the zombie like figure standing behind him. Jonghyun was wearing a black hooded jumpsuit, and while he was rubbing his sleep filled eyes I sigh hopelessly at the Winnie Pooh slippers covering his feet. The whole outfit was totally Jonghyun. "I'm sorry I woke you up…" Onew said, his eyes softening as they landed on the blushing junior.

"It's ok. I was just about to get in bed when you called me. I literally ran through my neighborhood to get into Jonghyun's house and retrieve my car. I actually had to kick his butt out of bed and drag his sorry ass out of his house" We laughed at the perplexed expression in the blonde's face as he was slowly coming to his senses. Kibum rolled his eyes when Jonghyun started tugging on his t-shirt, whining about wanting to go home. It was a good thing he wasn't conscious enough to grasp the whole situation just yet, cus' once he finds out I've been locked up with Minho for 5 hours, bare-chested and sweaty…that was gonna be the end of me. I was glad I had the whole night to prepare myself for the monumental lecture I was gonna receive, but I still pouted at the thought.

"Come on Taemin, let's get you something to eat. You're gonna sleep at my place. I already talked to your mom so don't worry. Thank you for calling me Jinki. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Minho, take care." I sighed, grabbing the awaiting hand and letting myself be dragged out to the desolated parking lot. I blushed, looking at the smiling face of the brown haired senior.

"Bye…" I whispered, pulling my hand up and waiving awkwardly. He waved back and I couldn't help but smile goofily. I had my first kiss…with Choi Minho.

"Oh God! I can't believe Jinki saw me like this!" Kibum whined as we arrived at the parking lot. Even in the dark I could see the dark silhouette of the _Aston Martin Vanquish, _parked beside a_ Mercedes SLR McLaren_, which I assumed was Onew's car. "I'm sorry Kibummie…for causing you so much trouble" I lowered my head, feeling like a child that burdened his mother with all his mistakes. A soft hand caressed my hair and I looked up, my eyes meeting Kibum's gentle ones. "It's okay Tae. I'm just glad you're okay."

I quickly climbed in the backseat, securing my seatbelt. All the way home I told Kibum everything that happened earlier, even the kiss, since he already knew about my infatuation towards the older boy. He kept cooing and sighing at the sweetness of the moment, groaning as he wished his encounters with Onew were less awkward and more romantic. I pouted when I told him Minho liked someone else, explaining the whole _Never have I ever_ situation. "It's okay. I bet things are gonna fix themselves in the end" There was a mysterious tone in his voice, but I was too tired to ask about it.

The secluded neighborhood came into view, and in cue we were entering Kibum's majestic mansion. I still remember my dumbstruck face the first time I saw it. I opened the door, stepping out of the car and helping Kibum as we took out the snoring Jonghyun out of the passenger's seat.

"Mmm…peanut butter…come to mama"

I raised an eyebrow as Kibum snorted, smacking the sleeping blonde on the head. Sometimes I wondered what the Jjong's dreams were about, but I just shuddered at the thought. Those dreams were meant to remain a mystery…a dark mystery, that if revealed, could leave you scarred for the rest of you life.

We dropped the dead body on the living room's couch, gawking as he started drooling in the brown cushion in seconds. Sighing, I followed Kibum into the vast kitchen, sitting in one of the high metal stalls. I swear his kitchen looked more like a five star hotel kitchen than a normal family one. I watched him as he skipped through the cabinets, getting all the ingredients he needed to prepare a sandwich. "Do you think it was stupid of me…to let Minho kiss me even though he liked someone else?" Kibum parted his lips, ready to answer when his eyes suddenly drifted to the kitchen door. I turned around, gulping as I saw a dark looking Jonghyun standing at the door. When did he woke up?

"You let yourself be kissed! BY MINHO?" I squinted my eyes shut, shrinking further into the seat. Kibum just rolled his eyes, walking towards the fuming junior and dragging him into the kitchen. "Calm down _dad_, it's not like he's a baby anymore" Jjong snorted, throwing his anxious eyes at my way. "Did he hurt you Taemin! He hurt you didn't he? With those big alien hands of his!" I sighed as he started searching my body for any sign of abuse.

"Aww my poor baby! You look too pale! OMG! Please tell me he didn't ask you to suck his lollipop! STAY AWAY FROM BOY'S LOLLIPOPS!" I groaned, begging Kibum to stop Jjong's fussing. "Jjong! Stop your vagina from growing any further! They just KISSED! K-i-s-s-e-d." That made the blonde scoff, throwing his arms in the air as a sign of exasperation.

"Yeah, kissed…that's how things start Key! But soon that deprived little senior is gonna be all lubed up and ready to shove his big hot-" I felt Kibum's hands on my ears, saving my innocence. I could only gawk at Jjong's mimics, and the way he had one hand in the shape of a circle, introducing three fingers inside it in rhythmical thrusts made me shudder. Goodbye virgin eyes.

"Are you done now? You big fat pervert?" Kibum scolded, taking his hands out of my ears once it was safe enough to hear. "I may be a pervert…but I'm not fat!...It's just baby fat" Jonghyun pouted, poking his flat stomach. I rubbed my temple thoroughly, mustering enough strength to survive this conversation. "Whatever…just leave Taeminie alone. He knows what he's doing" I smiled as I was being defended, leaning into Kibum's embrace. I gasped as creepy smile started forming in Jonghyun's lips. That same creepy smile that screamed _'trouble'_ every time it appeared.

"Of course Taemin knows what he's doing…that's why a little sex ed wouldn't hurt. To refresh his knowledge you know" I looked up to Kibum with pleading eyes, begging silently for him to knock him out with a fry pan. He just sighed hopelessly as he watched an overly hyperactive blonde rushing out of the room, and a few minutes later Jonghyun came back, with a huge pile of books blocking his view. He spilled the thick books all over the table, hurrying Kibum and I to take a seat. I groaned, reluctantly doing as I was said.

"Okay! Why don't we start with a little story!" I only watched in horror as he opened a book filled with children like pictures. It looked _too innocent_ for my liking.

… "Once upon a time there was a boy called Joe. Joe had a friend called Jack. Joe was really innocent and naïve, but Jack was old, hairy and evil. One day Jack pulled Joe out of class, tugging him to a far secluded area where no one could see them.

-_Joe_- Jack said –_Do you like lollipops?_-

-_Yes!_- Joe responded, excited with the idea of sucking a sweet lollipop at the moment.

-_I have a huge lollipop in my pants_- Jack said, unzipping his pants. –_It's flesh flavored though. Hope you don't mind_-…" … 

_My mom taught me not to throw up in a house that wasn't mine._

_Sorry mom…_


	6. AN

Hello everyone!

First of all, i wanna thank you for the support you've been giving to my fic in this site. It's been very fulfilling to see Burbank having so much recognition in such a small amount of time. Sadly, my current career doesn't allow me to update as much as I want to, so to save time, I decided to reserve my updates in Livejournal. You can visit my journal, and read all the fanfics I've posted so far, there's no need to join (I think), so again, thank you for the support, and I hope to hear from all of you soon! : )

My livejournal: .com/


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